21 October 2010
Gatwick Airport has seen a drop in passenger numbers during September 2010 due to the continuing effects of the economic downturn. The airport experienced a 2.6% fall in traffic compared to September 2009, which the airport operator stated was due to lower numbers of leisure travellers.
Long-haul travel to destinations other than North America was the only sector to see any increase in passengers, recording growth of 7.1%. The number of people taking flights to Ireland decreased by more than 10%, while travellers on services to North Atlantic destinations fell by just over 1%. Destinations in the Caribbean and Africa were shown to be increasingly popular with travellers and were the main drivers behind the 7.1% growth in long-haul traffic.
http://www.uk-airport-news.info/gatwick-airport-news-211010a.html