Interview: London Gatwick Ambitions with Stephanie Wear

DALLAS — Back at Routes World 2024, we met with Stephanie Wear, Vice President aviation at London Gatwick Airport (LGW). Stephanie joined Gatwick Airport in 2021, and can be credited with the airport’s successful post-pandemic recovery.

London Gatwick has set some ambitious goals for its future, and is targeting growth to 75 million passengers a year by the late 2030s (compared to 62m without the Northern Runway). The airport is almost back to pre-pandemic traffic levels. The impact of the COVID-19 on global aviation has allowed LGW to rethink its traffic and services portfolio. Regarding the LGW’s network, Stephanie told Airways:

"The airport is significantly different now compared to the pre-pandemic period, both in terms of the types of carriers we host, their market share, and the destinations we’re flying to. Our long-haul services, in particular, have taken a bit more time to recover, which is one of the biggest differences in our numbers compared to pre-2019. We saw the pandemic as an opportunity to reshape our long-haul portfolio, allowing us to diversify and strengthen our offerings. It’s been a gradual rebuild, but we’re coming back better. We now have more carriers flying long-haul and to new destinations. For instance, we’re flying to India for the first time and have expanded to five destinations there alone"

Before the pandemic, LGW’s long-haul focus was the US market. Nowadays, Asia is becoming of growing importance for the airport. 

“While the U.S. remains a core market for us, we’re also thrilled to see our presence growing in Asia. This diversification gives us a broader market and a better range of options for our customers. We’re even seeing new carriers interested in expanding their services and adding more flights and connections. For example, we now host all of China’s 'big three' carriers: Air China, China Eastern, and China Southern, which is a first for us. Singapore Airlines also launched this summer and quickly ramped up to daily flights. Seeing new carriers like these enter our market, succeed from day one, and look to expand their services so soon is very encouraging and a great sign of Gatwick’s appeal. And there’s more to come." 

LGW’s expanding network is also matched by the investments in diversified offer and facilities, including the expansion plan, proximity to London and premium traffic. 

"One of the most exciting aspects of Gatwick right now is the scale of investment going into both expansion plans and enhancing the customer experience. We’re aiming to be the airport for everyone, no matter the journey type. We’ve put a lot of thought into what this means, given the diversity of carriers and passengers we host. From first-class travelers arriving in chauffeur-driven cars to low-cost carriers, we cover all ends of the spectrum, and we need the right infrastructure to support it. For example, we’ve just completed a massive refurbishment of our train station to improve access. More than 40% of our passengers use the train to reach Gatwick, which is one of our unique selling points. We’re the best-connected airport in London—within 30 minutes, you’re in central London, whether at London Bridge or Victoria station."

Gatwick has also made some significant steps towards reducing security clearing times. Some readers may recall old news coming from London Heathrow’s endless immigration lines. LGW’s track record is on the opposite end of the spectrum. 

"On the efficiency side, no one can match our service: 95% of our passengers clear security in under five minutes. That’s unheard of anywhere else globally!"

London Gatwick has been the busiest single runway airport in Europe for years. This was recently enhanced by the new exit taxiway. On this matter, Stephanie added:

“The new exit taxiway has been performing exactly as expected, making our runway even more efficient. In 2025, we’ll be implementing time-based separation, which lets planes land more closely and safely together, increasing runway capacity even further."

While improving numbers on traffic and passengers experience remain important goals, LGW is fully committed to becoming net-zero by 2030, a target that is not too far away. Stephanie concluded: 

"We’ve committed to becoming net zero by 2030, aiming to be the first large UK airport to achieve this. For us, it’s about action, not just words. In five years, we aim to be well on our way to these targets. 2030 is approaching fast, so there’s no time to waste. We’re already making substantial progress. It’s about controlling what we can: using hybrid vehicles, sourcing sustainable fuels, and recently putting out a sustainable fuel tender for our carriers. We’re looking closely at infrastructure to ensure clean energy operations, and our goal is a zero-emission terminal and airfield—a completely clean airport."