Ten brand new routes are set to start from London Gatwick this summer season and the airport also reveals the summer destinations most desired by UK passengers.
Long-haul destinations making the top ten fastest-growing list from Gatwick include Doha and Buenos Aires, each +51% and +68% on summer 2018 respectively. Competitive pricing from Norwegian and the fuel-efficient Dreamliner aircraft make it possible to offer some of the cheapest fares to Argentina from the UK – bringing this exciting destination in reach of many more passengers.
The 2019 summer season continues Gatwick’s long-standing precedent of championing competition and opening up new destinations and fares for passengers. Hot on the heels of Argentina, the airport’s brand new connection to Rio de Janeiro has begun, providing affordable fares to Brazil.
The top ten list also reveals passenger demand to get off the beaten track, visit lesser known regions of countries and discover the next must-see destination early. To enable this, airlines at Gatwick are increasing routes to the more untapped parts of Europe, including Ancona, Italy and Volos and Kavala, Greece.
In response to these travel trends London Gatwick is set to welcome an impressive ten new routes this 2019 summer season, from Rio, Brazil to Rijeka, Croatia.
New Route
|
Frequency
|
Asturias, Spain
|
3 flights per week
|
Chisinau, Moldova
|
2 flights per week
|
Cluj Napoca, Romania
|
7 flights per week
|
Gdansk, Poland
|
7 flights per week
|
Lametia - Terme, Italy
|
1 flight per week
|
Miami, USA
|
7 nights per week
|
Rijeka, Croatia
|
1 flight per week
|
Rio, Brazil
|
4 flights per week
|
San Francisco, USA
|
5 flights per week
|
Zadar, Croatia
|
3 flights per week
|
London Gatwick, which flies to more destinations that any other UK airport, is the ninth busiest airport in Europe. With 16.9 million departing passenger seats this summer, Gatwick is optimally positioned to reveal this insight into the destinations desired by UK travellers.
In addition to new routes, Gatwick airlines are increasing the number of flights they operate to a variety of destinations – offering more choice than ever before.
Spanish destinations Almeria, Bilbao, Jerez and Alicante will increase in frequency this summer as will Antalya, Turkey, Kos, Greece and Budapest, Hungary.
With the airport set to have its biggest ever summer this year, Gatwick’s much-loved passenger entertainment days will be extended, running Wednesday to Friday, rather than Fridays only.
Meanwhile this Easter, well over half a million passengers (550,000) will be traveling through Gatwick during the holiday weekend, +5.1% on 2018.
Stephen King, Head of Airline Relations, Gatwick Airport said, “This summer, ten new routes will start from Gatwick which is the very latest demonstration of passenger demand for flights from Gatwick. It shows that, even though it’s one of the busiest in Europe, airlines can still acquire slots and grow at our airport.
“Rio de Janeiro has just joined Gatwick’s roster of long-haul connections while our airlines are opening up new must-see destinations to explore, particularly in Europe.
“Our summer seat availability is nearly double that of our winter season. With the airport set to have its biggest ever summer this year, we are delighted to treble the days our in-terminal passenger entertainment of musicians, performers and comedians is available. There is lots more planned this summer at Gatwick – so stay tuned!”
Predicted fastest growing destinations summer 2019
- Jerez, Spain +287% versus summer 2018
- Bilbao, Spain +128% versus summer 2018
- Budapest, Hungary +114% versus summer 2018
- Ancona, Italy +107% versus summer 2018
- Buenos Aires, Argentina +68% versus summer 2018
- Volos, Greece +61% versus summer 2018
- Kavala, Greece +56% versus summer 2018
- Doha, Qatar +51% versus summer 2018
- Tallinn, Estonia +47% versus summer 2018
- Kos, Greece +44% versus summer 2018
- The summer season runs from 31st March 2019 to 26th October 2019
- All data sourced from OAG
About Gatwick Airport
Gatwick’s Airport is the UK’s second largest airport. It serves more than 230 destinations in 74 countries for 46 million passengers a year on short and long-haul point-to-point services. Gatwick is also a major economic driver and generates around 85,000 jobs nationally, with 24,000 of these located on the airport. The airport is south of Central London with excellent public transport links, including the Gatwick Express, and is part of the Oyster contactless payment network.
Gatwick’s 2018 draft master plan sets out proposals for the airport’s ongoing development and sustainable growth. It also outlines the airport’s latest thinking on how it can meet the increasing demand for air travel and provide Britain with enhanced global connectivity. A 12-week public consultation closed on 10 January 2019, and a consultation response summary and final master plan will be published later in 2019.
Tags:London Gatwick
