Gatwick Airport exec Nick Dunn slams Heathrow’s new runway bid as a backward step for Britain
Gatwick management yesterday launched a stinging attack on Heathrow’s proposal for a new runway at the west London airport.
Nick Dunn, Gatwick chief financial officer, said: “Expand Heathrow and we take a backwards step towards higher fares, less choice and the monopolies of the past. Only Gatwick can offer the win-win solution of a bigger Gatwick, a better Heathrow and airports throughout the UK benefiting from greater competition.”
He made the comments as the airport revealed it saw 38m passengers in 2014, up 7.6 per cent on 2013. Over 2.5m passengers travelled through the airport in December, an eight per cent increase on last year, which marked 22 consecutive months of growth at Gatwick.
Dunn stated: “Gatwick’s record-breaking figures show an airport serving the widest range of travel and airline models – exactly what is needed from the decision about the UK’s next runway. Airport expansion should be for the many not the few, and our broad range of growth underlines that Gatwick is the obvious solution if we want all passengers and all types of travel to benefit.”
Meanwhile, Stansted Airport reported that annual passenger numbers grew by 12 per cent in 2014 to 19.98m.