Gatwick hopes to have 32.8m passengers in 2022 – it was 46.6m in 2019
Gatwick has said it hopes now to have 32.8 million passengers this year, a forecast that is perhaps 10% above its earlier assessment in March of 30.6 million. That is still well down from 46.6 million in 2019. The airport said operations at the airport were “business as usual” and it would not need to extend its capacity restraints beyond the end of the month. It is likely that inflation and the cost of living “crisis” may deter some travellers later in the year and this winter. Gatwick’s staffing problems have not been fully resolved and recently it had cancelled at least 26 flights at the last minute due to staff absence in the airport’s control tower. More than 13 million passengers travelled through Gatwick in the six months to the end of June. The full Financial Statements for the 6 months to 30th June can be seen here.
.
Tweet
Gatwick Airport raises passenger forecast by almost 10% after demand for flights takes off
It expects more than 32 million journeys this year, still far below pre-pandemic levels
Gatwick Airport has reported a surge in passengers as demand for flights bounced back following the pandemic.
By Neil Murphy (ws.com)
Aug 23, 2022
Gatwick Airport has raised its passenger forecast by nearly 10 per cent after demand for flights bounced back following the pandemic.
The company said normal operations had resumed following months of strain on airports and airlines across Europe.
A statement said operations at the airport were “business as usual” and it would not need to extend its capacity restraints beyond the end of the month.
Gatwick — which is London’s second busiest airport — said in June that it was moderating the growth in the number of flights after major disruption over Queen Elizabeth II’s platinum jubilee bank holiday.
Gatwick said it expects 32.8 million passengers this year, up from the 30.6 million it forecast in March.
However, it warned inflationary pressures on costs and demand during the winter season could hamper the forecast. Passenger numbers will still be down from 46.6 million in 2019, before the pandemic, it said.
Gatwick said the “unprecedented growth” in traffic led to short-term operational problems in June.
On Monday, British Airways removed 10,000 flights scheduled for this winter to cope with the staffing situation and insufficient demand on some flights to destinations with multiple frequencies.
Staffing problems have not been fully resolved at Gatwick. On Tuesday, the airport said it had cancelled at least 26 flights at the last minute due to staff absence in the airport’s control tower.
In a statement, Gatwick said constraints over the summer meant passengers would have experienced poor standards of service. Queues would have been long and many flights would have been delayed or cancelled at the last minute.
But with the school holidays coming to an end, the worst has passed, chief executive Stewart Wingate said.
He said the boom in demand for overseas travel has helped the airport bounce back from the pandemic.
In the second quarter of the year, demand was at 74 per cent of pre-pandemic levels, Gatwick said.
More than 13 million passengers travelled through the airport in the six months to the end of June.
Revenue hit £291.5 million ($342m) in the six months, while post-tax profit reached £50.6 million ($60m).
Mr Wingate said there was “some considerable way to go” but strong demand had “fast-tracked” Gatwick’s recovery from the pandemic, particularly in the last quarter after all UK travel restrictions were removed.
“Air traffic volumes have reflected this strong passenger demand and have bounced back to around 75 per cent of pre-Covid levels”, he said.
“Despite some broad economic uncertainty, we are also looking forward to a successful second half to the year, with new, exciting airlines and routes coming on stream and continuous improvement in the high service standards Gatwick is known for.”
.
See earlier:
Gatwick slightly reduces summer capacity due to problems with insufficient staff
Gatwick will reduce its summer capacity to ward off potential chaos, after there were dozens of last-minute cancellations for holidaymakers over the platinum jubilee and half-term holiday. It will limit the number of daily take-offs and landings to 850 in August – about 50 more than the average in early June, but more than 10% below its pre-pandemic maximum. EasyJet operates more than half of Gatwick slots, and will have to review its plans.The DfT and the CAA told the industry to ensure that flights on sale were “deliverable”, and called on airport chief executives to set up working groups with airlines and ground handlers to minimise the risk of summer disruption. A review by the airport found a number of companies would still have a severe lack of staff resources over summer, which would probably leadt o delays and cancellations. Schiphol, another large European base for easyJet, was expected to make a similar announcement, limiting total daily passenger numbers this summer. The airline sector got rid of thousands of staff due to Covid, many of whom have found preferable jobs elsewhere.
Click here to view full story…
.
Gatwick’s press release:
Strong demand and encouraging air traffic volumes accelerates Gatwick’s recovery, while economic uncertainty remains
22/08/2022
Strong passenger demand – and encouraging air traffic volumes – following the lifting of all UK travel restrictions in March 2022 accelerated Gatwick’s recovery from the devastating impacts of the pandemic, the airport revealed today in its half year financial results.
H1 results:
Passenger demand was at 74.3% of pre-pandemic levels for Q2, after all UK travel restrictions were removed, and 59.1% for the half year period
13.1 million passengers passed through the airport in first six months of the year
Revenue was £291.5m for the six months ending 30 June 2022
Return to profitability with EBITDA at £148.3m and a profit after tax of £50.6m
Following strong demand, Gatwick has revised its traffic forecasts for 2022 to 32.8m passengers as a result of increased demand in H1. The airport however notes that continued macro-economic uncertainty – including inflationary pressures on costs and passenger demand for the winter season may impact these forecasts.
Following significant investment, Gatwick has just completed a project to resurface its main runway to improve resilience, and the redevelopment of the airport’s train station is progressing well, with completion due in 2023.
Increased demand through the half year period drove significant operational challenges across the entire aviation sector. In response Gatwick took early action to ensure reliable flight timetables by gradually increasing its declared capacity, and recruited over 400 new security staff to reduce delays. With additional resources across the Gatwick operation in place no further moderation of flying programmes is necessary.
Gatwick has provided staff to support other airport operators – including airline baggage handlers – as part of a continuous effort to improve their performance, reduce delays and return to high standard service levels.
As reported at Gatwick’s full year results, the South Terminal reopened on 27 March as demand returned – an operation described as the equivalent of opening a medium-sized airport overnight – following its closure during the pandemic from 15 June 2020.
Gatwick’s recovery has also seen its long-haul network grow with 40 routes now announced, including new airlines such as Norse and Bamboo flying to New York and Hanoi respectively, British Airways starting a new service to Cape Town and jetBlue adding a new daily service to Boston, in addition to their daily flight to New York. WestJet and Air Transat currently also fly to a range of destinations across Canada, while both British Airways and TUI fly numerous other long-haul services to the US, Mexico and the Caribbean.
Stewart Wingate, Chief Executive Officer, Gatwick Airport said: “We still have some way to go, but strong demand has fast-tracked Gatwick’s recovery from the pandemic, particularly in the last quarter since all UK travel restrictions were removed. Air traffic volumes have reflected this strong passenger demand and have bounced back to around 75% of pre-COVID levels.
“The unprecedented growth in traffic led to short term operational issues in June, however our decisive early action to limit the airport’s capacity in the crucial school holiday period of July and August has ensured passengers have experienced reliable flight timetables over the summer months. We are now very much operating business as usual and do not see any reason to extend the capacity declaration.”
“Despite some broad economic uncertainty, we are also looking forward to a successful second half to the year, with new, exciting airlines and routes coming online and continuous improvement in the high service standards Gatwick is known for.”
Further information on Gatwick’s half year results can be found here.
About Gatwick Airport
Gatwick is the UK’s second largest airport and flies a range of both short and long-haul point-to-point services. The airport is a vital piece of the UK’s national infrastructure and is also a major driver for both the regional and national economies. In 2019, a new long-term partnership was formed with VINCI Airports which purchased a 50.01% stake in the airport.
https://www.mediacentre.gatwickairport.com/press-releases/all/22_08_23_strong_demand_and_encouraging_air_traffic_volumes_accelerates_gatwicks_recovery.aspx
.
.
.