London Gatwick Airport will serve 172 destinations during the forthcoming holiday period as compared to 197 destinations during the same period pre-pandemic (2019), the airport said in a statement. This October, half term, London Gatwick Airport is planning to expand to almost 90% of the destinations as compared to last year.
This move is a part of the airport’s plan to welcome the holidaymakers jetting off for a short break or autumn sun. The top destinations include Dublin, Barcelona, and Malaga in the short-haul while Dubai, New York, and Orlando top the long-haul charts.
London Gatwick’s Chief Commercial Officer, Jonathan Pollard, said: “We are really excited to see the number of destinations we fly to almost returning to pre-Covid levels for the October half-term. The summer was incredibly busy, and we took steps to provide more certainty for passengers, including recruiting more than 400 new security staff, so we are well-resourced for the half-term and beyond. It is great to see our departure lounges busy again with people eager to jet off and enjoy our fantastic range of destinations, across Europe and further afield.”
The airport has predicted substantial growth as more airlines are planning to open additional operations. The current existing routes give the airport 44 weekly flights to US. Another seven flights will be added this Halloween, as JetBlue plans to double its flights. JetBlue is adding a second daily service to New York which is one of over 50 weekly flights to the US currently on offer from Gatwick.
At the end of half-term, Gatwick will be welcoming new airline Bamboo Airways, with a new route to Hanoi, Vietnam.