Gatwick Area Conservation Campaign – About Gatwick Airport

About Gatwick

SIZE

Gatwick is the second largest airport in the UK, and has a serious adverse effect on the environment, both globally and locally.

In the calendar year 2011 Gatwick handled 33.6 million passengers, i.e. 16.8 million return trips. In the peak year, 2007, Gatwick handled over 35 million passengers.

In 2011 there were 245,000 traffic movements (ie take-offs and landings), an average of 670 a day, and about 40 an hour during the day. At peak times a rate is reached of nearly one movement a minute.

LOCATION

Gatwick is situated 28 miles south of London, in the county of West Sussex, and in the Borough of Crawley. The northern boundary of the airport adjoins Surrey County. The boundaries of Horsham District, Mole Valley District, Reigate and Banstead Borough, and Tandridge District all adjoin the airport. The planning authority is Crawley.

COUNTRYSIDE

The countryside around Gatwick, thanks to strict planning policies, is attractive and unspoilt - its main characteristic being woods and small fields and historic villages. All the land to the north of the airport is designated as Green Belt where development is prohibited. Nationally designated Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) almost encircle the airport on west, north and east. The South Downs National Park lies about 20 miles south of the airport. Thanks to strict planning policies, the main industrial and commercial development associated with the airport has been confined to the Crawley industrial area to the south of the airport.

OWNERSHIP

Gatwick Airport was originally part of the publicly owned British Airports Authority. In 1986 BAA (owning Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted and other airports) was privatised to become BAA plc. In 2005 BAA was bought by the Spanish company Ferrovial. In 2009, as a result of an anticipated order from the Competition Commission, Gatwick was split from the rest of BAA, becoming Gatwick Airport Ltd (GAL) and sold to Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), an international investment consortium with about 50 investing partners. GIP has subsequently sold shares in GAL to a number of foreign pension funds, retaining 42% of the ownership but control of the Board.

GACC has deplored the fact that each change of ownership has meant a turnover of senior staff, and has expressed concern that the main underlying motive of the present ownership must be to increase the profitability of the airport with scant regard to the local community or to environmental improvement.

P R O T E C T I N G T H E G A T W I C K A R E A