London Gatwick Airport

   

Gatwick Airport (IATA Airport Code: LGW, ICAO Airport Code: EGKK) is London's second airport and the second largest airport in the UK after Heathrow. It is located in West Sussex, approximately 40 km (25 miles) south of London, and an equal distance north of Brighton.

Gatwick is the busiest single-runway airport in the world, handling over 31 million passengers annually, 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.

Recent proposals to build a second runway at Gatwick have led to strenuous protests because of the increased noise and pollution that this would entail, not to mention the demolition of dozens of houses. In addition an agreement with the local council has promised not to build a second runway until at least 2019. Car parking remains a constant concern with space unable to meet demand. Off airport operators say that all off airport car parks are now virtually full from July to September and it is difficult to see how the airport can continue to increase passenger levels without more land receiving planning for car parking.

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 Aintree 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.

In 1969, Ariana Flight 701, a Boeing 727 of Ariana Afghan Airlines was arriving at Gatwick from Frankfurt International Airport in Frankfurt am Main, Germany when it crashed into a house, killing 50 of the 66 persons aboard. Two people died on the ground.

Terminals

The airport has two terminals, North and South, which are connected by an automatic monorail.

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.

  • Adria Airways (Ljubljana)
  • Aerolíneas Argentinas (Buenos Aires)
  • Air France (Bordeaux, Nantes, Strasbourg)
  • Air Southwest (Newquay, Plymouth)
  • Arkia Israeli Airlines (Tel Aviv)
  • American Airlines (Dallas/Fort Worth, Raleigh/Durham)
  • Astraeus Airlines (charter)
  • British Airways (Aberdeen, Algiers, Alicante, Amsterdam, Antigua, Athens, Atlanta, Barcelona, Bari, Bermuda, Bologna, Bordeaux, Bridgetown, Budapest, Cagliari, Catania, Chambery, Dallas/Fort Worth, Dublin, Dubrovnik, Edinburgh, Faro, Frankfurt, Geneva, Genoa, Glasgow, Grenada, Grenoble, Hanover, Houston Bush, Innsbruck, Jersey, Kingston, Krakow, Luxembourg, Madrid, Manchester, Marseille, Munich, Naples, Newcastle, Nice, Orlando, Palma Mallorca, Paris, Pisa, Prague, Pristina, Rome, St Lucia, Tampa, Thessaloniki, Tobago, Toulouse, Turin, Venice, Verona)
  • British Airways Citiexpress (Inverness, Isle of Man)
  • Daallo (Djibouti)
  • Delta Air Lines (Atlanta, Cincinnati)
  • El Al (Tel Aviv)
  • Emirates (Dubai)
  • Etihad Airways (Abu Dhabi)
  • First Choice Airways (charter)
  • Flyjet (charter)
  • Gulf Air (Muscat)
  • Hellas Jet (Athens)
  • Israir Airlines (Tel Aviv)
  • Kibris Turkish Airlines (Alaman, Antalya)
  • Lithuanian Airlines (Vilnius)
  • LOT Polish Airlines (Krakow)
  • Nationwide Airlines (Johannesburg)
  • Pulkovo Aviation (St. Petersburg)
  • Royal Air Maroc (Marrakech)

South Terminal

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 programme.

Ground transportation

The South Terminal is located directly above the Gatwick Airport railway station, which provides fast and frequent connections 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, Thameslink and Virgin Trains, use the station as well.

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

External links

  • Gatwick Home Page (http://www.baa.co.uk/main/airports/gatwick/)
  • Facts page (http://www.baa.co.uk/main/airports/gatwick/about_gatwick_page.html)
  • Google category for Gatwick Airport (http://directory.google.com/Top/Regional/Europe/United_Kingdom/Transport/Aviation/Airports/London_Gatwick/)
  • Aerial Photo (http://www.multimap.com/map/photo.cgi?client=public&x=527474&y=141662&width=700&height=410&scale=25000&down.x=10&down.y=18)



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