Gatwick gets ready for busiest day of the season
Gatwick is bracing itself for one of its busiest ever Christmases, with the highest traffic expected on Sunday December 22.
On that day alone, 60,000 passengers are expected to fly from the airport. On Christmas Day, it is expecting to handle 16,000.
The airport said numbers were expected to be up 4.5%, reaching more than two million between December 13 and January 5, and it is advising all passengers travelling to the airport by public transport to check Network Rail’s website as rail works are planned over the festive period.
There will be no Gatwick Express services from Christmas Day till January 5 – passengers should use Southern services and may also use First Capital Connect services between Brighton and Gatwick Airport from December 27 to January 1 and between Sutton and London Blackfriars on December 27.
National Express services will run direct between London Victoria and Gatwick Airport for the first time on Christmas Day and Boxing Day.
The London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games volunteers will return to Gatwick over the Christmas period to welcome arrivals and try to ensure they have a smooth onward journey.
Gatwick Airport’s choir, The High Altitunes, will be singing on December 17 and 18 in both the South Terminals. The choir, recently formed by staff at the airport, will be singing a mixture of Christmas carols and songs as well as music which has been arranged especially for them.
Other Christmas activities being laid on to entertain passengers include The London Gospel Choir, storytelling from a puppeteer polar beer and Eskimo, a Michael Bublé tribute singer and complimentary mince pies.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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