Though Gatwick number of passengers is up 5.7% this year on 2014, the number of flights only up by 2.6%
… and though the number of passengers was UP 8.3% in 2014 compared to the earlier pre-recession peak in 2007, the number of flights was actually DOWN by – 1.5% in that time. The number of flights may only this year reach the earlier peak in 2007.
The Gatwick Area Conservation Campaign (GACC) says that use of larger planes, and with fewer empty seats, explained how Gatwick has a record-breaking 40 million passengers per year. Gatwick has been expanding its passenger numbers as fast as possible, in its bid to get another runway. The Airports Commission estimated, based on past trends, that it would not reach 40 million passengers per year for many more years. But Gatwick has not increased the number of air transport movements (flights) by much. While the number of passengers ( link ) in the 12 months to October 2015 is 5.7% higher than the previous 12 months, the number of flights was only 2.6% more. GACC said it is the number of landings and take-offs (ATMs) which create a need for a new runway, not just the number of passengers. The load factor (how full the plane is) is higher, with the figure is October 2015 being 85.3% compared to 82.2% in October 2012 or 81.7% in October 2013. GACC chairman Brendon Sewill said: “At this rate of growth Gatwick and Stansted and Luton won’t be full for at least fifty years!” In fact, Gatwick had more flights in 2007 than in 2014. There were about 256,000 ATMs in 2008, 259,000 in 2007 and 255,000 in 2014. The average number of seats per plane was about 180 in 2014 and about 174 in 2013. The average number of passengers per plane was about 151 in 2014 and about 145 in 2013.
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Anti-Gatwick expansion group plays down passenger record
18 November 2015 (Crawley Observer)
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Gatwick Area Conservation Campaign (GACC) said larger planes and fewer empty seats explained the airport reaching a record-breaking 40 million passengers per year.
A Gatwick spokesman said it hit the milestone for the first time this weekend ten years earlier than predicted by The Airports Commission.
The commission recommended expanding Heathrow Airport instead of Gatwick in its final report which it published in July.
A GACC statement said: “It is the number of landings and take-offs which create a need for a new runway.”
Larger planes and fewer empty seats explained statistics which stated passenger numbers were up 25 per cent while flights were up only five.
GACC chairman Brendon Sewill said: “At this rate of growth Gatwick and Stansted and Luton won’t be full for at least fifty years!”
A Gatwick spokesman said the Government was due to make a decision on airport expansion in weeks.
Gatwick CEO Steward Wingate said: “To reach 40 million passengers a year is a tremendous achievement and sets a global benchmark for a single runway airport. We have grown rapidly under new ownership and the benefits of competition are clear for passengers – more choice, higher standards and lower fares. It will not be long however before we are full. That is why Gatwick needs a second runway.
“We have reached this milestone ten years ahead of the Airport Commission’s prediction that we would do so in 2024. The Commission’s Report has unravelled in recent months and we now know beyond doubt that there is a fundamental error at the heart of the Report. Whether the Report is flawed is no longer a matter of debate, it is a statement of fact. Traffic forecasts obviously underpin the economic figures in the Report so people will make their own judgement on the economic credibility of the Commission’s work.
“Illegal air quality has prevented Heathrow expansion twice in the past and it is worse today than it was then. A third runway at Heathrow would fail again as it would be illegal. So the choice is clear – expansion grounded at Heathrow once again with Britain losing out, or expansion taking off at Gatwick with Britain reaping the benefits.”
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The number of Air Transport Movements for the year, up to October 2015 (ie. Oct 2014 to Oct 2015, compared to Oct 2013 to Oct 2014) was only up by 2.6% – while the number of passengers was up by 5.7%. Link
Gatwick passenger numbers – approximately
| Gatwick | 2015 | Versus 2014 | 2 014 |
| January | 2 360 879 | 5.5% | 2 237 957 |
| February | 2 470 384 | 7.1% | 2 306 230 |
| March | 2 959 233 | 9.3% | 2 707 835 |
| April | 3 181 366 | 0.7% | 3 157 706 |
| May | 3 622 183 | 5.9% | 3 419 371 |
| June | 3 827 722 | 5.2% | 3 639 329 |
| July | 4 323 443 | 6.5% | 4 059 036 |
| August | 4 530 105 | 3.9% | 4 361 985 |
| September | 4 048 915 | 5.7% | 3 831 314 |
| October | 3 615 627 | 7.8% | 3 352 544 |
| November | 2 453 008 | ||
| December | 2 582 272 | ||
| Year to date | 34 939 857 | ||
| Full year | 38,094,845 |
Source. Anna Aero.
http://www.anna.aero/wp-content/uploads/european-airports.xls
for data for all European airports, month by month. Earlier years are in tabs along the bottom of the spreadsheet.
Gatwick’s number of flights 2004 to 2014
The number of air transport movements (ie. flights, counting both take offs and landings) were: (CAA airport data) from 2004 – 2014 ATMs all UK airports
2014 ….255,000
2013 ….244,000
2012 ….240,000
2011 ….245,000
2010 ….234,000
2009 ….245,000
2008 ….256,000
2007 ….259,000
2006 ….254,000
2005 ….252,000
2004 ….240,000
Between the peak of flights in 2007 to the number of flights at Gatwick in 2014, there was a decrease of – 1.5%
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Number of flights in 2014 up +5.4% compared to number in 2013.
Number of flights in 2013 up +1.7% compared to number in 2012.
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Gatwick’s number of passengers 2004 to 2014
From CAA airport data. Number of terminal passengers 2004 to 2014
2014 ….38,094,000
2013 ….35,429,000
2012 ….34,219,000
2011 ….33,644,000
2010 ….31,342,000
2009 ….32,361,000
2008 ….34,162,000
2007 ….35,165,000
2006 ….34,080,000
2005 ….32,693,000
2004 ….31,392,000
Between the peak in 2007 and 2014, the number of passengers using Gatwick rose by 8.3%.
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Number of passengers in 2014 up +7.5% compared to number in 2013.
Number of passengers in 2013 up +3.5% compared to number in 2012.
Gatwick produces monthly passenger and traffic reports
See
Recent ones are at:
| Month/Year | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 |
| January | January 2012 | January 2013 | January 2014 | January 2015 |
| February | February 2012 | February 2013 | February 2014 | February 2015 |
| March | March 2012 | March 2013 | March 2014 | March 2015 |
| April | April 2012 | April 2013 | April 2014 | April 2015 |
| May | May 2012 | May 2013 | May 2014 | May 2015 |
| June | June 2012 | June 2013 | June 2014 | June 2015 |
| July | July 2012 | July 2013 | July 2014 | July 2015 |
| August | August 2012 | August 2013 | August 2014 | August 2015 |
| September | September 2012 | September 2013 | September 2014 | September 2015 |
| October | October 2012 | October 2013 | October 2014 | October 2015 |
| November | November 2012 | November 2014 | November 2014 | |
| December | December 2012 | December 2013 | December 2014 | |
Load factors – just looking at some at random:
Load factor Oct 2012 – 82.2%
Load factor Oct 2013 – 81.7%
Load factor Oct 2014 – not given
Load factor Oct 2015 – 85.3%
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Gatwick’s Performance monitoring report for 2014/15 stated that:
– increased number of flights: the number of air traffic movements in 2014/15 increased by 3.2% on 2013/14, as a result of a small increase in the number of peak slots made available from the summer 2013 season, to a total of 55, and greater use of off-peak slots in the winter season, which Gatwick has incentivised through reducing tariff charges for aircraft movements in this period to zero; and
– increased load per flight: airlines have increased the average number of seats per flight by 3.6% from 173.9 to 180.1, and load factors increased by 0.7 percentage points from 83.2% to 83.9%.
Table 1: Traffic data
Seats per ATM 180.1 (Year to 31.3.2015)
Seats per ATM 173.9 (Year to 31.3 2014)
Passengers per ATM 151.1 (Year to 31.3.2015)
Passengers per ATM 144.7 (Year to 31.3 2014)
Load Factor (%) 83.9% (Year to 31.3.2015)
Load Factor (%) 83.2% (Year to 31.3 2014)
And
173 seats per ATM at Gatwick in 2012
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See
http://www.acl-uk.org/UserFiles/File/LGW%20W12%20Start%20of%20Season%20Report.pdf