Gatwick makes case for second runaway after passing 45 million passenger mark

Gatwick Airport handled more than 45 million passengers for the year to the current week, as it revealed strong full-year results.

The UK's second-busiest airport saw its passenger numbers rise by 7.7% in the year ended 31 March to 44.1 million.

The growth was driven by a 13.6% increase in long-haul, which now represents one in five of Gatwick's passengers.

Domestic traffic was up 10.3%, while average load factors increased to 85.2%.

Revenue increased 7.7% over the year to £725m ($941m), with profit before tax coming in at £131.8m.

Gatwick chief executive Stewart Wingate said the strong performance coincided with the biggest year of investment in the airport's history, along with record levels of service for passengers.

He added that the airport remained ready to offer the government a "financeable and deliverable" scheme to build a second runway.

Despite intense lobbying by Gatwick, Heathrow was chosen as the site for a new runway to increase UK airport capacity last October.

"It is a simple fact that, of the top 20 airports in the world by passenger growth, Gatwick is the only one with a single runway," Wingate said.

"We continue to offer the UK a financeable and deliverable second runway scheme which we stand ready to deliver should the Government give us the go-ahead."

Gatwick's results come days after a BBC analysis found that the airport had the biggest proportion of flights from the UK to popular holiday destinations delayed by 30 minutes or more.

Nearly a third of the 108,000 flights leaving the airport between June and September last year were delayed.

"Repeated strike action on the continent over recent years and heavily congested airspace above parts of Europe and London, have led to a significant increase in the number of delays caused by wider air traffic control issues outside Gatwick's control," a spokesman for Gatwick told the BBC.

"Gatwick has more flights to Europe than any UK airport and is impacted disproportionately by events on the continent."