Gatwick officials said the airport is experiencing one of its busiest summers yet, with 19.9 million passengers travelling through its two terminals in the first half of the year.

This represents an increase of 7.7 percent compared to the same period in 2023.

The airport reported half-year revenue of £488 million, an increase of 15.3 percent on the previous year.

Adjusted profit rose 13.9 percent year-on-year to £268 million, while net profit for the period rose 33.8 percent to £106 million.

Stewart Wingate, CEO of Gatwick, said: “We are experiencing one of our busiest summers yet due to increasing demand for travel.

“Thanks to solid planning and close cooperation with our partners, we had a strong start to 2024 and were able to guarantee our passengers a reliable and pleasant experience.

“I am very pleased that we have once again achieved a good level of service, which is demonstrated by the 100% fulfillment of our service measures.

“Our teams have worked incredibly hard to achieve these results.

“As we continue to expand our network and offer more choice to our passengers, we are working towards our vision of being the airport for everyone, regardless of their journey.”

Service measures include factors such as seat availability in departure lounges, waiting times at security checks and baggage delivery times.

Gatwick said its focus on developing new long-haul routes to airports in the Middle East, Asia and North America would attract “a wider range of passengers”.

Recent new services include the launch of flights to and from Singapore Changi Airport in June, while Air India launched flights between Gatwick and Bengaluru (Bangalore) this week.

The final phase of Gatwick’s consultations on plans to return the existing northern emergency runway to routine operation ends next week.

If the application is approved, the runway could be in regular use by the end of the decade.

Mr Wingate said: “Our northern runway project demonstrates our commitment to sustainable growth in line with our Decade of Change Sustainability Strategy and Government policy.”