- How it all began
- Present and future of the airport
- Gatwick structure
- Transfer from airport
Gatwick is London's second largest airport in terms of passenger traffic. Heathrow Airport is the leader in terms of occupancy. Gatwick Airport is located 40 kilometers south of central London and about the same distance north of Brighton, which is on the English Channel. Look for Gatwick airport between two villages - Horley and Crawley.
It can be said that Gatwick Airport is an add-on to Heathrow, as it receives flights that Heathrow refuses. For example, the main airport in London does not operate charter and transatlantic airlines, so they are based in Gatwick. It is from here that flights to the USA and Canada are made. Gatwick is also the second hub for British Airways and Virgin Atlantic.
Gatwick airport scoreboard
Scoreboard at Gatwick Airport (London), flight statuses from the Yandex. Schedule service.
How it all began
The airport got its name in honor of the Gatwick estate, which was built before 1241, when it was first written about in archival documents. The estate was located on the site of the airport until 1890. During this period, it was demolished and a hippodrome was founded here, where the famous Aintree Grand National competitions were held during the First World War.
In 1930, next to the racetrack, on the site of a neighboring old farm, a small airfield appeared, which belonged to the Surrey aeroclub. Sometimes the pilots lifted racing enthusiasts into the air so that they could watch the action unfolding on the racetrack from above. In 1933, the old airfield was converted into an airport, and in 1936 it was used to serve flights to Europe. In the same period, a ring terminal and an underground railway station were erected here, which greatly facilitated the life of passengers.
After World War II, it was decided to turn Gatwick into a second Heathrow. It was closed for two years on reconstruction, which cost £ 7.8 million. After the reopening of the restored airport, it turned out that it remains the only airfield in the world, where the railway track from the nearest large city is connected.
Present and future of the airport
Gatwick is the busiest airport in the world with a single runway at its disposal. More than 31 million passengers fly from Gatwick annually to 200 cities around the world.
Charter flights that do not operate at Heathrow are primarily operated by Gatwick. From here, transatlantic flights to US cities are also carried out, since Heathrow is not intended for them.
Following the last major renovation of the airport in 1979, London authorities decided not to expand Gatwick until 2019. In order not to increase noise levels, to avoid further pollution of the environment and not to demolish the villages near Gatwick, the government decided to support the reconstruction and modernization of Heathrow and Stansted airports.
The owner of Gatwick Airport, BAA, recently filed a petition to build a second runway south of the airport. However, the villages of Charlwood and Hookwood, located north of the proposed take-off and landing route, will not be affected.
Gatwick structure
Gatwick Airport is very easy to navigate. It consists of:
- north terminal, built in 1983. In the 80s of the last century, a grandiose construction was launched here. The terminal served its first passengers in 1988. The Queen herself was present at its opening. Three years later, the building was expanded;
- the south terminal, erected during the airport renovation in the 1950s. In 1962, it was expanded with the construction of two piers. Reconstruction of the first landing pier took place in 1985;
- monorail, which allows passengers to get from one terminal to another in a few minutes.
Between the north and south terminals, there are rails on which trains, consisting of three cars and controlled automatically, run. They leave every 2-3 minutes. At the same time, passengers can hear information about incoming and outgoing flights from two terminals.
Transfer from airport
The airport has convenient connections with the center of London and other cities close to the capital of Great Britain.
You can get to the airport:
- on trains of several carriers (30 minutes on the way);
- by bus (the journey takes 1, 5 hours);
- by taxi (ride about 1 hour);
- by own car (the same 1 hour).
The airport's South Terminal is located directly above the train station, which has direct connections to Victoria Station and the southern town of Brighton. The Gatwick Express train runs from the airport to Victoria station 1 to 4 times per hour. You can also take advantage of offers from Southern, Thameslink and Virgin Trains. Thameslink trains provide access to Luton Airport.
Also, to London, to the East Croydon stop, express X26 go. National Express buses run from Gatwick to Heathrow, Stansted and small towns around Gatwick.
