Gatwick Airport Presentation
London Gatwick Airport is 5k north of Crawley, West Sussex and is 45.7k south of Central London. It is home to the world's busiest single use runway. It is London's second largest and second busiest airport after Heathrow Airport. In terms of passenger numbers it is the 28th busiest airport in the world, in terms of international passengers it is 9th busiest and 8th largest in europe in terms of passenger traffic.
The name Gatwick was coined in 1241 from Anglo Saxon words which translated as "goat farm". It was the name of a manor on the site of today's airport.
Gatwick Airport has two terminals, the North terminal and the South terminal. The Airport has Anglican, Catholic and Free Church chaplains, plus a multi faith prayer room and councelling room in each terminal. A daily service is led by one of the chaplains. the South terminal is Gatwick's older and busier terminal and is where the airport railway station is.
Gatwick's two terminals are connected by an automated rapid track transit system.
HISTORY:
1920 - 1945:
In the late 1920s land on Tinsley Green lane was used as an aerodrome, which was licenced in 1930. In 1930 Surrey Aero club was formed and in 1932 a flying school began operating. Commercial flights from Gatwick were approved in 1933, and the aerodrome was sold to an investor who formed a new airport company. Scheduled services began from gatwick Airport to Belfast and paris. In 1935 a new railway station opened operating on the Victoria Brighton line and provided two trains an hour. In 1936 The beehive opened - the world's first circular airport terminal. 1936 saw two fatal accidents which questioned the airport's safety. Gatwick Airport returned to private flying. It was requisitioned in 1939.
1945 - 1970:
the government declared in 1952 that the Gatwick Airport was to be developed. Gatwick was closed between 1956 and 1958 during its £7.8m renovation.
On 30 may 1958 commercial air service began. Gatwick Airport was the world's first airport with a direct railway link and was the first to combine rail travel, trunk road facilities and a terminal building in one unit.
The South Terminal was built during 1956 - 1958. In 1964 Gatwick's original runway was extended, and again in 1970.
From the late 1950s a number of Britain's private airlines established themselves at Gatwick.
The airport was dominated by non scheduled services into the 1980s.
1970 - 2009:
In 1989 scheduled passengers outnumberd holiday makers travelling on non schedules flights for the first time in Gatwick's post war history. Several government initiatives supported Gatwick'd development and resulted in passenger numbers growing steadily since the 1970s.
In 1978 "the London Air traffic Distribution Rules" came into effect and were designed to farily distribute traffice between Heathrow and gatwick airport.
A new helicopter shuttle service linking Heathrow airport and Gatwick airport began in 1978.
In 1983 a new circular satellite pier was added the the terminal building, and connected to the main terminal by the Uk's first automated people mover system.
In 1984 the new air traffic control tower opened. Also in 1984, the Gatwick express rail service to London Victoria station was launched. A second terminal was planned, and construction began on the North Terminal in 1983. The terminal was opened in 1988 and expanded in 1991. In 1994 the North Terminal internation departure lounge opened. Phase 1 of the South Terminal international departures lounge also opened.
The North and South terminals were further expanded between 2000 and 2001.
On 3 December the transfer of Gatwick Airport's ownership from BAA Limited to Global Infrastructure Partners became effective.
2009 -
A £1 billion investment program to upgrade and expand the airport is planned.
<< Go back to index page
|
