London Gatwick has achieved a passenger milestone by welcoming 46 million passengers in the last twelve months for the first time ever.
The airport claimed that it was able to serve more passengers along with reducing the number of residents within the noise footprint.
Since 2008 there has been a reduction of nine percent in the airport’s noise footprint area, however the number of flights in the last decade grew nine percent.The standard measurement is of 57 dB leq contour.
As many of the airport is being flown by the new generation aircraft there has been a reduction. Like the Airbus A320neo – this is upto 50 percent quieter than the models replaced.
There has been more focus on incentivizing airlines in Gatwick to modify the existing aircraft fleet.To reduce the noise around 97 percent of the Airbus A320 family of aircraft flying from Gatwick and contributing to half of the airport’s flights were modified to reduce noise.
As per the independent noise analysis by the Civil Aviation Authority the modification was a significant factor in cutting down the airport’s noise footprint by three per cent last year, even though there was a three per cent increase in traffic over the same period.
In the last eight years Gatwick saw a 41 percent increase in passenger number due to the airport’s new global connections. The long-haul passengers grew by 21.3 % in 2017. The airport’s passenger survey showed that Gatwick has the highest-ever customer satisfaction levels.
The airport has published a draft master plan that brings forth the airport’s vision for growth to the 2030s in response to the passenger demand for Gatwick’s global connectivity.
The draft master plan will be providing regular updates on their long-term plans and goes in accordance with the government’s call for airports to make the maximum use of their runways.
London Gatwick, chief executive, Stewart Wingate was delighted to have welcomed 46 million passengers to Gatwick in 2017 which reflected which the hard work and innovation of all staff working at the airport.
He said that the at Gatwick they work hard with their airlines to ensure that the higher passenger numbers using the airport, attracted by new and improved services, are balanced by noise improvements for their local neighbours.
Their ambition is to be UK’s most sustainable airport and is already the first carbon neutral London airport along with being the first airport to achieve zero waste to landfill.
