London Gatwick Airport Departures

London Gatwick International Airport

Address: Horley, Gatwick RH6 0NP, United Kingdom
Phone: +44 344 892 0322
Web: gatwickairport.com
IATA airport code: LGW
Area: 8 ha
Elevation: 62 m
Opened: 1933
Serves: London, South East England
Runways: 2565 m and 3316 m

LGW Departures today

• UK Airport departures
• London Gatwick Airport Arrivals

Discover London Gatwick International Airport Departures

Airport London Gatwick is located about 45 km south of the city of London. After London Heathrow it is the UK’s busiest airport, even though they only have 2 runways for Gatwick airport flight departures. This is often the reason why London Gatwick departures are delayed. Many major airlines such as British Airways and Emirates have Gatwick flight times over here, but also low budget airlines such as Easyjet and Ryanair. At the airport there are 2 terminals, called North Terminal and South Terminal. These are connected to each other via a monorail. This journey only takes a few minutes.

History

The first Gatwick departures took place in 1930 for a private club. This soon changed to a public airport with routes to Paris and Belfast, among others. A few years later, a terminal called Beehive was added. There was also a rail link which is today called Gatwick Railway Station. After the start of WW2, it temporarily became a base for the army that sent Gatwick airport departures with night-fighters into the air.

After the war, the airport had to be renovated considerably. Still, cargo and charter flights quickly returned. It immediately became the second largest airport in the city of London. Later in the 1950’s, the airport was even closed for 2 years to carry out renovations. New airlines and destinations were soon added. Many charter and leisure flights were transferred from Heathrow to Gatwick from 1963. The following year the runway was extended and the terminal enlarged to 9,300 square meters.

Ten years later, the runway was even extended twice to 2766 and then to 3098 meters. This also allowed larger aircraft to land and take off. Long-haul flights also became possible afterwards. In the 1980’s it even became one of the busiest airports in the world. The runway was extended again for a change and this time to 3316 meters. A new terminal, North Terminal, was also opened in 1988. As the London Gatwick departures continued to increase, the terminals had to be expanded. The baggage hall was enlarged and pier 6 was built.

In 2009 BAA’s airport was sold to GIP. There have been further innovations in the past ten years. It is so well organized that an airplane can take off or land every 63 seconds. To ensure that everything runs smoothly, airlines were placed in specific terminals. Both Easyjet and Virgin Atlantic offer flights in the North Terminal and British Airways in the South Terminal.

Flight routes

Most London Gatwick departures go to Barcelona Airport, followed by Dublin, Malaga, Amsterdam and Madrid. In 2019, there were 282,896 Gatwick departure times with a total of 46,574,786 passengers. With a 78% drop, the airport processed only 10,171,867 passengers in 2020. The year 2021 brought 6,260,072 passengers to the airport.

Top winter routes from LGW

• DUB – Dublin
• AGP – Malaga
• GVA – Geneva
• BFS – Belfast International
• GCI – Guernsey
• BCN – Barcelona El Prat
• CPH – Copenhagen
• AMS – Amsterdam Schiphol
• LIS – Lisbon Humberto Delgado
• FAO – Faro
• MXP – Milan
• TFS – Tenerife South
• FCO – Rome Fiumicino
• EDI – Edinburgh
• ALC – Alicante
• MAD – Madrid Barajas
• GLA – Glasgow international

Most flights are operated by the following airlines:

• Aer Lingus
• Ryanair
• EasyJet
• TAP Air Portugal
• Vueling
• Air Europa
• TUI Airways
• British Airways

Terminals London Gatwick Airport

Which terminal you need to be depends on your London Gatwick Departure flight. Most flights at the North terminal are flying with Easyjet and Virgin Atlantic. At Terminal North there are 33 gates for boarding. There is also a gate that even the Airbus A380 can connect to the terminal. Most popular airlines for checking in:

• North Terminal: TUI and Easyjet (also South Terminal)
• South Terminal: TUI and Easyjet (also North Terminal), Aer Lingus, Ryanair, British Airways, Vueling, Air Europa, Iberia, Aurigny Air Services, Wizz Air, Norwegian Air, etc.

To check in, you can do regular check-in at Terminal North on Level 20 and self check-in at Level 10. Check on the signs at which zone you need to be:

Map Terminal North Level 20

For Terminal South, you must be on Level 20 to check in. There are 32 gates available at Terminal South.

Terminal South Map Level 20

There is an automated people mover that drives between the terminals for an inter-terminal transit.

There are food and drink options at various locations in the terminal. If you want to stay a bit more luxurious, you can also use one of the lounges. In North Terminal you have NO1 Lounge, Plaza Premium, The Gateway and Clubrooms Lounge. In South Terminal you can also go to a Clubrooms, but also to NO1 Lounge.

Gatwick Airport Transportation

The airport is easily accessible by car or public transport. It is south of the town just above Crawley.

• From most areas in and around London city center it is usually fastest to drive to the M25 motorway. You drive south from this highway. Once at Junction 7 you had to take the exit onto the M23 towards Brighton/Crawley/Gatwick Airport. After 6.5 miles (11 km) take the exit at junction 9 towards London Gatwick Airport.
• Car rental: There are various car hire agencies such as Sixt, Enterprise, Hertz, National, budget etc.
• There are Gatwick departures by train every few minutes. Many routes go to the center of London but also to other destinations in the area. Some examples are London Victoria, Portsmouth, Cambridge, Brighton and Southampton. Some companies to travel by train are Thameslink, Southern, and Gatwick Express. The train station is located at Terminal  South.
• There are both coach and bus connections from the airport. The local buses travel to the surrounding villages and towns in the region. Then there are coach buses offering national destinations to central London, Brighton, Oxford, Norwich, Bristol, Birmingham and also London Heathrow airport. Ticket desks are available in the terminals.

Parking

There is ample space to park your car at both the North and South Terminals. There are various options for both short-term parking and long-term parking. There is also a premium parking location, also just in the parking garage, but located closer to the terminal, a 2-minute walk away. However, this is a bit more expensive than elsewhere in the garage. There is also an option for valet parking.

Hotels

There are several hotels on and near the airport grounds. Some very close by are at Terminal South: Bloc Hotel Gatwick and YOTELAIR Gatwick. Close by there are two other good options. These are Courtyard by Marriott London Gatwick Airport and Hilton London Gatwick Airport with good references.

There are also several choices at terminal North. Some hotels that are the most popular and also close to the terminal and garages: Hampton by Hilton London Gatwick Airport, Premier Inn London and Hotel Sofitel. Other good options near Terminal North:

• Premier Inn London Gatwick Airport (A23 Airport Way) hotel
• Travelodge Gatwick Airport Central
• All Seasons Guest House
• Holiday Inn London – Gatwick Airport, an IHG Hotel