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London Gatwick Airport

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|- !colspan="4" style="text-align: center; background-color: #4682B4; color: white;" |Runways |- !bgcolor="lightgrey" rowspan="2"|Direction !bgcolor="lightgrey" colspan="2"|Length !bgcolor="lightgrey" rowspan="2"|Surface |- !bgcolor="lightgrey"|ft !bgcolor="lightgrey"|m |- !align="left" valign="top"|26L/08R |valign="top" align="right"|10,879 |valign="top" align="right"|3,316 |valign="top"|Asphalt/Concrete

Gatwick Airport is London's second largest airport and the second busiest airport in the UK after Heathrow, busiest single runway airport and sixth busiest airport in the world in terms of passengers per year. It is located between Horley in Surrey and Crawley in West Sussex, approximately 40 km (25 miles) south of London, and 40 km north of Brighton.

In 2005, the airport handled over 32.6 million passengers [link], flying to around 200 destinations. Charter airlines are generally not allowed to operate from Heathrow and many use Gatwick instead as their base. Many flights to and from the USA also use Gatwick because of restrictions on transatlantic operations from Heathrow. The airport is a secondary hub for British Airways and Virgin Atlantic.

In 1979, when the last major expansion took place, an agreement was reached with the local council not to expand further before 2019, but recent proposals to build a second runway at Gatwick led to protests about increased noise and pollution and demolition of houses and villages. The government has now decided to expand Stansted and Heathrow but not Gatwick. Gatwick's owners BAA have published a new consultation which includes a possible second runway south of the airport, but leaves the villages of Charlwood and Hookwood intact, north of the airport.

Like many other airports, car parking is in limited supply at Gatwick. This is partly due to local planning restrictions. Facilities are full to capacity in the summer months.

Contents

History

The name "Gatwick" dates back to 1241, and was the name of a manor on the site of today's airport until the 19th century. In 1890, the manor was converted into a race course, which hosted the Grand National for several years during World War I.

In 1930, the Surrey Aero Club was incorporated at Gatwick, and pilots began flying their aeroplanes to the races. In 1933, the race course was purchased by an outside investor and redesigned as a full airport. The Air Ministry approved commercial flights from Gatwick the following year, and by 1936, scheduled flights were operating to several destinations on the Continent. A circular terminal called "The Beehive" was built, with a subway connecting it to Gatwick railway station so that passengers could travel from Victoria Station to the aircraft without stepping into the elements.

After World War II, Gatwick was re-designated as an alternative to Heathrow Airport, and the airport was closed for an extensive (£7.8 million) renovation between 1956 and 1958. The new Gatwick was the world's first airport with a direct railway connection, and was one of the first to use a fully enclosed pier-based terminal design with covered jetbridges connecting waiting areas directly to aircraft.

Throughout the 1950s and 60s passenger figures grew and despite all modifications to the existing terminal and the opening of the satellite pier in 1983, there was still a need for more capacity. In 1988, the North Terminal was completed, it is connected to the south terminal with a rapid transit system. In May 2005 the £110 million pound pier 6 was opened along with the new sky bridge walkway which linked an extra 11 piers to the north terminal. The highest of its kind, the new bridge spans across an active taxiway at Gatwick, giving departing and arriving passengers at Gatwick views of taxiing aircraft.

Terminals

The airport at sunset with the control tower visible
Enlarge
The airport at sunset with the control tower visible

The airport has two terminals; North and South.

North Terminal

Construction began on the North Terminal in 1983: it was the largest construction project south of London to have taken place in the 1980s. The terminal was opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 1988 and was expanded in 1991.

South Terminal

The south terminal of the airport.
Enlarge
The south terminal of the airport.

The main pier of the South Terminal was built during the 1956-58 construction of Gatwick. In 1962, two additional piers were added, and in 1983, a circular satellite pier was opened, connected to the main terminal by the UK's first automated people mover system. The original pier was extensively refurbished in 1985, and the entire terminal is currently under a second refurbishment program.

Planned destinations (unclear which terminal will be used)

Gatwick Airport Transit

The Gatwick Airport Transit provides free transportation between the North and South Terminals. The transit system uses transit vehicles that run along a 1.2km long elevated two-way track system. The transit vehicles are automatic driverless people movers each with three cars. The transit is free to use with a travel time of only a few minutes.

Plane accidents

Facilities

Both terminals at Gatwick offer a range of facilities for travellers. Business travellers are catered for by several executive lounges offering peace and quiet and modern business facilities. There is also a conference and business centre with meeting facilities and business services. Business Travellers are also offered Fast Track which enables an efficient car park to airport to check-in and then to flight service.

Children are catered for with facilities for baby changing and feeding and there are play areas and video games to keep them amused. The airport also has Skyview in the South Terminal which offers views across the airfield and interactive activities, however this was closed to the public in 2004.

Disabled passengers can travel easily through Gatwick too with all areas being accessible and added special needs facilities.

There is a fairly standard range of shops and restaurants throughout both terminals at Gatwick, such as Starbucks Coffee shops and Boots.

The South Terminal includes Pizza Express, McDonalds, several WH Smiths, Boots and a Hilton hotel. Both terminals used to contain record shops. For many years these were Our Price stores. They closed in 1999 and reopended as Virgin records. Today there is no record shop in the North Terminal following Virgin closing both stores down in the mid-2000s, however, an Impulse record shop can be found in the South Terminal.

Ground transport

The Gatwick Airport railway station is located next to the South Terminal, and provides fast and frequent connections along the Brighton Main Line to London's Victoria station and London Bridge station as well as Brighton to the south. The Gatwick Express service to Victoria is the best-known rail service from Gatwick Airport railway station, but several other companies, including Southern, First Capital Connect, Virgin Trains and First Great Western Link, use the station as well. First Capital Connect provide direct trains to Luton Airport, and foot passengers with modest luggage can reach Heathrow Airport by catching an X26 Express Bus from East Croydon.

National Express operates coach services from Gatwick to both Heathrow and Stansted Airport, as well as smaller cities throughout the region.

Route 21 of the National Cycle Network passes under the South Terminal, allowing virtually traffic-free cycling northwards to Horley and southwards to Three Bridges and Crawley. A [goods-style] lift runs between the terminal and ground level (signed "Lift to Cycle Route"), near Zone L.

There are also at least two sets of stairs which foot-passengers can use to leave the South Terminal and get to ground-level (near the cycle route) from the vicinity of Zone L and the train-station area (steps are labelled Exit Q and Exit P on the ground). These are widely used by Gatwick workers and locals. There is a useful (but poorly signposted) footpath that leads to Crescent Way in the south of Horley.

The airport is near Junction 9 of the M23, and is on the A23 and at the southern end of the A217.

The airport has several long and short stay car parks, both at the airport and off-site.

External links

Airports of the United Kingdom
: City | Gatwick | Heathrow | Luton | Stansted | Southend
: Birmingham | Blackpool | Bournemouth | Bristol | Doncaster-Sheffield | Durham Tees Valley | Exeter | Leeds-Bradford | Liverpool | Manchester | Newcastle | Norwich | Nottingham East Midlands | Southampton
Coventry | Humberside | Land's End | Newquay | Plymouth City | St. Mary's
: Aberdeen | Edinburgh | Glasgow International | Glasgow Prestwick | Inverness
Barra | Benbecula | Campbeltown | Dundee | Fair Isle | Islay | Kirkwall | Lerwick | Stornoway | Sumburgh | Tiree | Westray | Wick
: Cardiff
: Belfast City | Belfast International | City of Derry
Crown Dependencies: Alderney | Guernsey | Isle of Man | Jersey
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