Gatwick passenger numbers fall
Gatwick saw a slight drop in the number of passengers using the airport last month, which it blamed on challenging economic conditions and the poor weather in January.
Numbers were down 0.8% year on year, but domestic traffic was up by 6,800 and the airport handled 21,900 more long-haul passengers than in January the previous year.
Chief financial officer Nick Dunn said: "In January we saw a slight decline in the number of passengers travelling through Gatwick, which is a reflection of lower European traffic. However this was balanced with growth from long-haul airlines serving Asia.
Garuda Indonesia will operate six direct flights a week from Gatwick to Jakarta starting in winter 2013, making Gatwick the only UK airport to connect passengers directly to the largest economy in South East Asia.
However, Korean Air has announced that it is to cancel its Gatwick to Seoul service, less than a year after launching the flight, which the airport said was a sign of the UK’s challenging economy. The airline also has a new competitor on the route, since British Airways launched a five-times-a-week service from Heathrow in December.
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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