London Gatwick Airport has completed a £73 million extension of the North Terminal, enabling it to handle an extra four million passengers per year.
The eastern end of the terminal has been extended to provide additional check-in and baggage reclaim capacity, with the addition of 18 new check-in desks. The total number of check-in desks at the north terminal now stands at 144, 70 of which are self-service options.
The good news for travellers is that the revamp also includes the addition of four new reclaim belts – three for international arrivals and one for domestic flights from cities such as Manchester and Edinburgh.
Arrivals and departures at the terminal now operate on different levels: passengers being dropped off outside the new entrance can go up one of two moving walkways or lifts where they will meet passengers coming off the new inter-terminal shuttle.
Arrivals at Gatwick will come through the ground floor, making it easier to access the airport’s taxi service or inter-terminal shuttles.
The extension was opened by former Prime Minister, The Rt Hon Sir John Major KG CH yesterday and is part of wider plans to extend the terminal to accommodate 20 million passengers per year by 2020.
On opening the new terminal, Sir John Major said: “Airports are the ‘front door’ of the UK. And, for visitors to Britain, their first impressions of our country are shaped by what they see and experience when they land. That is why the significant investment to improve arrivals infrastructure is so important.
“In improving its efficiency, Gatwick is contributing to economic growth and wellbeing across the United Kingdom. And that is vital to our national interest.”
This year Gatwick has made considerable attempts to become the Asian entry point to London. The airport has established the first direct air link between Britain and Vietnam, as well as adding new routes to Malaysia, Hong Kong, South Korea and China.
Just last week it was announced that Hong Kong Airlines has chosen Gatwick as the UK destination for its Club Class service. A new daily non-stop service between Gatwick and Hong Kong is to start in March 2012.
(Image: Life of a Lens 2011)
