Gatwick optimistic despite BA shifting more flights to Heathrow

Friday, 04 Oct, 2002 0

BAA Gatwick is optimistic despite the blow it will be dealt when British Airways transfers eight more routes to Heathrow at the end of the month.

A spokesperson for Gatwick told TravelMole: “It was disappointing news for Gatwick that BA will move more flights to Heathrow as part of its winter schedule. However, the transfers have left capacity for carriers like easyjet and GB Airways to increase services.

“We are optimistic about the air traffic figures for September. We hope we will continue on the performance from August, which was down just 2.7 percent from August 2001, our best performance since 11 September”.

The spokesperson added that BAA hoped air traffic figures for Gatwick would be back on track by next summer.

The move by BA will see the carrier’s African network consolidated at Heathrow from the end of the month. Flights to Harare in Zimbabwe, and Lusaka in Zambia will operate from Terminal 4, as will flights to San Diego, Denver, and Phoenix, previously operated out of Gatwick.

BA will also shift flights from Gatwick to St Petersburg in Russia, Tripoli in Libya, and Sofia in Bulgaria, to Terminal 1. The carrier is adding a third daily service to Athens from Heathrow, and dropping the Athens service out of Gatwick.

BA, which will still hold about 30 percent of the traffic at Gatwick over the winter, has been transferring services from Gatwick to Heathrow since December 2000. It is part of the carrier’s “Future Size and Shape” initiative, aimed at streamlining costs.

The only services to be boosted from Gatwick are those to the Caribbean. BA is adding two more Antigua services per week, to take the service to one flight per day, and is adding additional flights onwards to Tobago and Grenada.

BA reported passenger load factors of 76.8 percent for September 2002, up 7.6 points from the same month last year. However, the immediate impact of the terrorist attacks of September 11, and the consequent closure of US airspace for four days, makes comparison immaterial. For the third quarter as a whole, the passenger load factor was 76.5 percent, up 2.6 from the same quarter last year.

Read our previous stories:
13-September-2002 BAA reports late summer surge
12-August-2002 Air travel on the mend