Concerns that the current economic crisis would mean that holidaymakers would stay at home during the Christmas season were confirmed when the British Airports Authority, the largest airport operator in Britain, reported that their passenger numbers dropped by 6.9% during the month of December in comparison to last year.
The Gatwick Airport saw the biggest fall in traffic, where it fell by 13.8%, which is partly due to the move of some of the airport’s transatlantic flights to the London Heathrow Airport, along with the collapse of Zoom Airlines, which dealt specifically with North American services. The Stansted Airport witnessed [...]

Gatwick Airport could possibly see a second runway expansion rather than Stansted Airport or Heathrow Airport with secret plans being created by the companies who are bidding to purchase the second biggest airport in Britain. On Wednesday of last week, the Competition Commission supported the idea effectively, calling on the government to change their aviation policy. Their statement threatens to reveal state policy during a period when the Cabinet is having a dispute over building a 3rd runway at the Heathrow Airport.
If Gatwick Airport is to have an expansion, as many as 300 homes would be destroyed. [...]

The Competition Commission said yesterday that the British Airports Authority should be made to sell two more of their airports in the United Kingdom, one in London along with Gatwick Airport and another in Scotland. Pending a final decision to occur in March, they believe that they should have to sell Gatwick Airport and Stansted Airport in London, as well as Edinburgh Airport in Scotland. They didn’t set a timetable for the sale of the properties as of yet.
Colin Matthews, the Chief Executive of the British Airports Authority, said that they will continue to fight the forced sale. [...]

Thousands of passengers with arrivals and departures at the Gatwick Airport yesterday were warned to anticipate delays with icy weather conditions forcing the runway at Gatwick Airport to close for almost 4 hours. The British Airports Authority said that the taxi-ways and the runway were opened again at around 10:30am after they did some de-icing work on the taxi stands and runway.
Flights arriving at the airport were diverted to other runways, like those at Stansted Airport, Luton Airport, and London Heathrow Airport. The British Airports Authority warned about delays and advised passengers to contact the airline they were [...]

British Airways, the 3rd biggest carrier in Europe, has announced that they will be cutting over 100 jobs at the London Gatwick Airport while they reduce their services by 15%, starting in the middle of next year. Currently, there are 41 British Airways planes based at the London Gatwick Airport, and this number will be lowered to 37, according to a statement from the carrier. They also said that staff cuts will be done by volunteering.
British Airways said in the statement that they have briefed their staff and trade unions about the reduced departures from the Gatwick Airport [...]

Investment groups have been formed in order to propose a bid for the London Gatwick Airport. The British Airports Authority has had the airport up for sale since a pre-ruling by the Competition Commission that their ownership of all 3 airports in London is not in the best interest of the public. The sale is said to reduce fees for carriers and passengers by bringing in more competition, but those airlines who use the airport anticipate an increase in fees no matter who is the owner.
3i, a private equity group, partnered with the Ontario Teacher’s Pension Fund, one [...]

easyJet has secured the approval of a judicial review by the High Court. The review will be of the regulatory processes that enable higher airport fees to be imposed at the Gatwick Airport.
The Civil Aviation Authority of the United Kingdom has let the British Airports Authority, the owner of Gatwick Airport, increase passenger changes by nearly 50%. This means that the charge being imposed per passenger on all carriers is going to reach £8.36 for the next 5 years.
The Civil Aviation Authority has stated that the move was motivated from the need for further investment into reducing queuing [...]

Gatwick Airport, the second busiest airport in Britain, was breached with replica bombs that were hidden in hand baggage, while a safety inspection was being conducted. A bag that contained a device allegedly raised a flag of suspicion by a x-ray scanner, but it was then handed back to the owner following a search by security. The guards who searched through the bag were not able to identify the bag’s contents.
This breach happened while the European Commission was conducting an inspection during the month and has raised serious questions over the security in British airports during a time [...]

For travelers that are planning to park at an airport, pre-booking a parking space is now an option that Superbreak is offering its customers for many of the major airports in the United Kingdom.  Superbreak is a travel operator for short holidays, and now travelers can book a parking space with them if they are departing from any 9 of the United Kingdom’s major airports.  When customers book with Superbreak, they can save up to 60% on the standard price of parking that the airport offers, which makes this a very desirable option.
Travelers can secure a parking space for their [...]

The British Airports Authority and British Airways have decided that the London Heathrow Airport needs a third runway.  Willie Walsh, the chief executive of British Airways, said in a transport conference that the hub in London need another short runway and a mixed-mode operating system on the two runways that they already have to supply more space for take-offs and landings.  He says that the lack of extra space on the runway is what caused the global network at Heathrow to decrease from 227 destination spots in 1990 to only 180 now.  The decreasing cycle, he added, needs to be [...]