9.5m to depart from Gatwick this winter

With the winter season launching this week, Gatwick Airport has announced its top 10 fastest growing route list for winter 2019.

Topping the list is the Chinese city of Shanghai, up 416% compared to winter 2018. This winter will see China Eastern Airlines increase the number of flights to the city from three a week to a daily service, while Air China will commence a four times a week service from Shanghai this November. 

Second on the Gatwick hot spot list is Düsseldorf, which has seen a 221% increase in bookings compared to the same period last year. 

The third most popular destination this winter for London Gatwick passengers is Aqaba, in Jordan, while Ankara in Turkey comes in at number four. Fifth on the top 10 winter destination list for Gatwick is Budapest, the Hungarian capital popular with city breakers.

Other cities featuring in the top 10 list this winter are Bilbao in Spain, Dubrovnik in Croatia, Tangier in Morocco, Calgary in Canada and Krakow in Poland.

Earlier this year, Gatwick Airport revealed new flights available which will continue to run during winter months. These will include US destinations Miami and San Francisco, as well as locations like Rio de Janeiro, Milan, Ancona, Asturias and Gdansk. 

Three new destinations will be available for Gatwick Airport passengers this winter - Kuwait City, San Jose de Cabo in Mexico and Memmingen in Germany. 

Europe's ninth busiest airport, Gatwick Airport offers more destinations than any other airport in the UK.

The winter period, which began on 27 October and runs until 28 March 2020, will see almost 9.5 million passengers fly out of Gatwick, including 600,000 during the October half-term break alone. 

Stephen King, Head of Airline Relations, Gatwick Airport said: “The appetite for new destinations and extra seats continues unabated at Gatwick, even as we near 47 million passengers annually. Unveiling yet more carriers and routes this winter shows airlines are growing well as passengers respond to the new choices available.

“This winter I’m delighted that once again we have new airlines joining Gatwick alongside a wealth of carriers growing capacity. Whether it’s new carriers like Jazeera Airways, which has chosen Gatwick as its first destination in Western Europe, additional capacity to China or existing airlines growing their seat offer, this winter is great news for passengers looking for something fresh and exciting or returning to a favourite destination.”

All data has been sourced from OAG, via the official Gatwick Airport website.