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Gatwick slams Airports Commission after hitting passenger target 14 years early
Gatwick is claiming the Airports Commission report into runway expansion in the southeast of England ‘fundamentally flawed’ after its 12-month traffic ‘went through the roof’.
Latest figures show that Gatwick carried 42 million passengers in the past 12 months, a target which the Commission said the airport wouldn’t hit until 2030.
Passenger numbers at Gatwick were up 6.4% on the previous year with traffic during August up more than 5%. Meanwhile Heathrow saw a rise of just 0.1% in August.
However, the Airports Commission recommended in July last year that an additional runway should be built at Heathrow, not Gatwick.
Gatwick chief executive Stewart Wingate said: "Our performance proves beyond any doubt that the Airports Commission’s report is fundamentally flawed.
"Gatwick has had its busiest ever August, long haul routes have gone through the roof and we have just passed the 42 million passenger mark 14 years ahead of when the Airports Commission said we would."
The government is not expected to take a final decision on the site for a new runway until October at the earliest.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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