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
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Global tourism exceeds 1.5 billion travelers announces UN-Tourism
Qatar Airways offers reduced timetable to over 60 destinations
WTTC global tourism reached record economic impact of 11 trillion in 2025
Hands In, UATP join forces for airline multi-card payments
Overseas travelers to the United States declined by 2.5% in 2025