cover story
December/January june/july 2020-21 2019 business edge
Gatwick Airport – ready to build back better As discussed in the last update from Gatwick back in the summer, it continues to be an incredibly difficult and unprecedented time for all involved in the aviation industry and beyond. I joined Gatwick in September as Chief Commercial Officer under no illusion about the challenge which lay ahead, but ready to embrace it, nonetheless. The aviation industry has proven its resilience in the past and this will likely be no exception, if we adapt quickly to changes and behaviours in a time and cost-effective manner. Over the past months, Gatwick as an organisation has explored different ways to help safeguard as many jobs as possible and keep the business in a strong position, ready to build back better as demand increases and continue acting as the single biggest driver for the local economy. Unfortunately, due to a dramatic 66% decline in passenger numbers in the first six months of this year, the airport had to make the very difficult decision to restructure the company, losing around 600 job roles in the process. Even now, just over eight months into the crisis, passenger volume continues to be approximately 90% down versus last year. While delivering a programme of redundancies isn’t something that anyone would wish to have to implement, the process of restructuring will better align the business to passenger and air traffic forecasts while allowing it to remain agile should demand recover faster than expected. It also means Gatwick will continue supporting significantly more jobs than it needs to operate at current levels. Another decision we have recently announced is the introduction of forecourt charging in 2021. This will be in the form of a £5 charge for vehicles using the forecourt
to drop off passengers directly outside the terminals - as most UK airports have done for many years. The revenue raised will help the airport continue its recovery from the economic impact of the COVID-19 crisis and will also help Gatwick continue to meet its commitment to reduce ‘Kiss and Fly’ - the least sustainable type of journey to the airport, which currently accounts for 15% of all airport journeys. We are continuing to look into solutions for staff, rail users and Blue Badge holders. On the subject of the railway station, Gatwick’s recovery plan includes a multimillion-pound, two-year upgrade of Gatwick Airport railway station. This work will help relieve crowding, improve accessibility and reduce delays for international passengers, commuters and leisure travellers across the south east. Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) and Network Rail have been working throughout the Covid-19 pandemic – taking advantage of the significant downturn in rail and
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air passenger footfall – and platform 7 was successfully re-opened on time on 1 November 2020, having been initially closed (and then removed) on 18 May. In further positive news for not only Gatwick, but associated business partners and the regional economy, myself and colleagues remain in constructive and encouraging talks with new and existing airlines, who continue to show considerable appetite at operating – or expanding operations - from Gatwick. Already in recent weeks, we’ve seen Wizz Air – an existing carrier at Gatwick – base an aircraft at the airport and launch a number of new routes as a result, to the likes of the Canary Islands, Malta, Naples and Athens, while TUI has already launched its winter ’21 and summer ’22 schedule from Gatwick, rubber-stamping its commitment to the airport. Returning airlines, routes and passengers is also positive news for our retailers. Within
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