Gatwick History & Facts

Gatwick Airport has been in operation since 1930, initially as the Surrey Aero Club, a small flyers club used exclusively flying enthusiasts. Four years later, Gatwick was licensed as a public aerodrome intended to provide regular services to Paris and to provide relief for the then London Croydon Airport. It was also in 1934 that Gatwick gained its first scheduled flights – Hillman’s Airways to Belfast and Paris. Hillman’s Airways descendants still fly from Gatwick; they form part of the company better known as British Airways. Today however, they have been joined by roughly 56 other airlines, flying to over 200 destinations and serving over 45 million passengers. Gatwick Airport has come a long way since the 1930. Take a look at some of the key facts that highlight the importance of this unique airport:

Facilities

> Number of runways: 1

> Planning application submitted for use of the Northern (2nd) Runway to increase our capacity

> Runway length: 3,316m long by 45m wide

> Number of terminals: 2 - South (opened in 1958) and North (opened in 1988)

> South Terminal is 160,000 square metres of which 14,768 square metres is retail facilities

> North Terminal is 98,000 square metres of which 12,530 square metres is retail facilities

> There are 119 stands, with a total of 186 centrelines - the ability to use a stand flexibly means we can park up to 186 aircraft

> 31 South Terminal stands

> 31 North Terminal stands

> 57 remote stands served by coaches

> We have 245 check-in desks, 123 self-service check-in desks and 119 self-service bag drop kiosks