By Guy Taylor
Gatwick’s £2.2bn expansion plans represent an “opportunity for us to encourage more long-haul flying,” its chief executive has said, as the West Sussex airport looks to muscle in on Heathrow’s dominance in the long-haul market.
“Certainly this will be an opportunity for us to encourage more long haul flying to and from Gatwick and to and from London and the Southeast. There’s no question of that,” Stewart Wingate told City A.M.
“We want to compete with other London airports but also, particularly when we’re looking at long haul routes, we know that we’re competing with airports across Europe, so it’s really important that we have that mindset of wanting to compete,” he said.
The proposals seek to bring its emergency runway into routine use, by moving the centre-line 12 metres to the north, allowing departures from the strip whilst meeting international safety standards.
The airport hopes this would boost both long-haul and short-haul flights.
But Wingate explained that “the reason long haul routes are important to us and to our regional economy is because long haul planes tend to fly every day of the year. They’re not seasonal.”
He added: “They are larger aircraft, so they bring more passenger movement on the runway, and their passengers tend to have more economic activity. And certainly we see businesses flourish on both ends of the route. So, you know, for us, the long haul growth will be important.”
Gatwick’s proposals are just one of a long list of airport’s seeking to expand their capacity this year, signalling a miraculous rebound in confidence in the sector following the lows of the pandemic.
Big names looking to boost routes and passenger numbers include London City, who await the outcome of a decision from Newham Council today, London Stansted, London Luton and Heathrow, which is still eyeing a third runway.
Ahead of Gatwick’s submission, Wingate made no reservations when stating that the airport was looking to tap into competition and jostle with rival hubs.
“We really do like to have the opportunity to compete with Heathrow to try to bring in airlines who are perhaps new to Gatwick to destinations, because we fundamentally believe if we can get that choice in that competition, ultimately, the personal benefit is the consumer,” he told City A.M.
On long-haul offerings, Heathrow has traditionally led the market but Gatwick’s boss believes there is “no reason why we wouldn’t be having a similar level of long-haul activity to Heathrow,” if the expansion is successful.
The “key issue” across London’s airports is the “scarcity of runway slots, particularly at peak times,” Wingate said, adding that the new departure strip would be a boon for airlines looking to fly into the capital.
