easyJet

IATA U2 ICAO EZY Callsign EASY
Founded	1995
Operating bases	List of bases Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg EZS Belfast Intl Berlin Brandenburg (Open 17 Mar) Berlin Schönefeld (Close 16 Mar) Bristol Edinburgh Geneva EZS Glasgow Lisbon Liverpool London Gatwick (Largest Base) London Luton (HQ) London Southend London Stansted Lyon Madrid Manchester Milan Malpensa Newcastle Nice Paris Charles de Gaulle Paris Orly Rome Fiumicino Toulouse
Focus cities	Amsterdam Airport Schiphol
Subsidiaries	EasyJet Switzerland
Fleet size	189
Destinations	129
Company slogan	"europe by easyJet" "Come on, let's fly!" "The web's favourite airline"
Parent company	EasyJet plc
Headquarters	London Luton Airport Luton, United Kingdom
Key people	Michael Rake (Chairman) Carolyn McCall (CEO) Warwick Brady (COO) Chris Kennedy (CFO) Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou (Founder)
Revenue	£3,452 m (2011)[1]
Operating income	£248 m (2011)[1]
Net income	£225 m (2011)[1]
Website	www.easyjet.com

EasyJet Airline Company Limited (styled as easyJet) is a British airline headquartered at London Luton Airport. It is the largest airline of the United Kingdom, measured by number of passengers carried, operating domestic and international scheduled services on over 500 routes between 118 European, North African, and West Asian airports.^[2] The parent company, EasyJet plc, is listed on the London Stock Exchange (LSE: EZJ) and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.^[3] As of 30 September 2009 (2009 -09-30)^[update], it employed 8,000 people, based throughout Europe but mainly in the UK.^[4]

EasyJet has seen rapid expansion since its establishment in 1995, having grown through a combination of acquisitions^[5][6] and base openings fuelled by consumer demand for low-cost air travel. The airline, along with subsidiary airline EasyJet Switzerland, now operates over 200 aircraft,^[7] mostly Airbus A319.^[7] It has 19 bases across Europe, the largest being Gatwick.^[8] In 2010, EasyJet carried 42.4 million passengers^[9] and is the second-largest low-cost carrier in Europe, behind Ryanair.^[10]

EasyJet was featured in the television series Airline broadcast on ITV which followed the airline's operations at London Luton and later at other bases. EasyJet's founder, Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou, was featured heavily in the series.^[11]

History[link]

Origins[link]

The airline was established in 1995 as part of the EasyGroup conglomerate. It was launched by Greek-Cypriot businessman Stelios Haji-Ioannou with two wet leased Boeing 737–200 aircraft, initially operating two routes: London Luton to Glasgow and Edinburgh. In April 1996, the first wholly owned aircraft was delivered to Easyjet, enabling its first international route, to Amsterdam. Until October 1997, the aircraft were operated by GB Airways, and subsequently by Air Foyle as EasyJet had not yet received its Air Operator's Certificate.^[12]

EasyJet was floated on the London Stock Exchange on 5 November 2000.^[12] In October 2004 the FL Group, owner of the airlines Icelandair and Sterling, purchased an 8.4% stake in EasyJet.^[13] Over the course of 2005, FL increased its share in the company periodically to 16.9%,^[13] fuelling speculation that it would mount a takeover bid for the UK carrier.^[14] However, in April 2006 the threat of takeover receded as FL sold its stake for €325 million, securing a profit of €140m on its investment.^[15] In November 2005, Ray Webster stood down after 10 years as EasyJet's chief executive officer (CEO) and was replaced by former RAC plc CEO, Andrew Harrison.^[16]

Expansion and acquisitions[link]

EasyJet has expanded rapidly since its establishment, driven by high demand from operations in the United Kingdom and continental Europe. In addition, EasyJet has been able to undertake the acquisition of several rival airliners.

Go Fly Boeing 737–300 in 2004

In March 1998, EasyJet purchased a 40% stake in Swiss charter airline TEA Basle for a consideration of three million Swiss francs. The airline was renamed EasyJet Switzerland and commenced franchise services on 1 April 1999, having relocated its headquarters to Geneva International Airport. This was EasyJet's first new base outside the United Kingdom.^[12] On 16 May 2002, EasyJet announced its intention to purchase rival airline, London Stansted-based Go for £374 million. EasyJet inherited three new bases from Go, at Bristol Airport, East Midlands Airport and London Stansted Airport. The acquisition of Go almost doubled the number of Boeing 737–300 aircraft in the EasyJet fleet.^[5][17]

In 2002, EasyJet opened its base at Gatwick Airport, and between 2003 and 2007, EasyJet opened bases in Germany, France, Italy and Spain, establishing a sizeable presence in continental Europe.^[12] In 2007, EasyJet claimed to be operating more flights per day than any other European airline.^[18] On 25 October 2007 EasyJet announced that it had agreed to purchase the entire share capital of GB Airways from the Bland Group. The deal was worth £103.5 million and was used to expand EasyJet operations at Gatwick Airport^[19] and also to establish a base at Manchester Airport.^{[6][20][21][22][23]}

In June 2011, EasyJet announced they will be opening their 11th UK base at London Southend Airport, offering flights to Alicante, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Belfast International, Faro, Malaga, Jersey, Palma de Majorca and Ibiza.^[24]

Corporate affairs[link]

Business strategy[link]

EasyJet, like Ryanair, borrows its business model from United States carrier Southwest Airlines. Both airlines have adapted this model for the European market through further cost-cutting measures such as not selling connecting flights or providing complimentary snacks on board. The key points of this business model are high aircraft utilisation, quick turnaround times, charging for extras (such as priority boarding, hold baggage and food) and keeping operating costs low.^[25] One main difference EasyJet and Ryanair have from Southwest is they both fly a young fleet of aircraft. Southwest have a fleet age of 14.1 years whereas EasyJet's fleet age is just 3.6 years.^[26]

Initially, EasyJet's employment strategy was to maintain control with minimal union involvement. However in recent years, the airline has adopted a more committed approach with a strategy in place to accommodate unions.^[18]

While the two airlines share a common business idea, EasyJet's strategy differs from Ryanair's in a number of areas. EasyJet flies mainly to primary airports in the cities that it serves, while Ryanair often chooses secondary airports to further reduce costs. For example, EasyJet flies to Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport and Paris Orly, the primary airports in Paris, while Ryanair flies to the smaller Beauvais-Tillé Airport, a 75 minute bus journey from Paris. EasyJet also focuses on attracting business passengers by offering convenient services such as the "Flexi fare" which allows free of charge changes to the flight within a window, speedy boarding and a checked in bag. easyJet also gives passengers the option to transfer on to an earlier flight without charge on the return sector of their booking if there is seats available.^[25][27]

Financial performance[link]

Head office[link]

Hangar 89 at London Luton Airport, EasyJet head office

Easyjet's head office is Hangar 89 (H89), a building located on the grounds of London Luton Airport in Luton, Bedfordshire; the hangar, a former Britannia Airways/TUI facility, is located 150 metres (490 ft) from EasyLand, the previous headquarters of EasyJet. Hangar 89, built in 1974, has 30,000 square feet (2,800 m²) of office space and can house three aircraft the size of an Airbus A319 at one time. When EasyJet received H89, it had a 1970s style office setup. EasyJet modernised the building and painted it orange.^[28]

Marketing[link]

EasyJet's early marketing strategy was based on "making flying as affordable as a pair of jeans" and urged travellers to "cut out the travel agent". Its early advertising consisted of little more than the airline's telephone booking number painted in bright orange on the side of its aircraft.^[12]

The Airline TV series created by LWT and filmed between 1999 and 2007 made EasyJet a household name in the United Kingdom. The series, while not always portraying EasyJet in a positive light, did much to promote the airline during this time.^[11] EasyJet has used a number of slogans since its establishment including "The Web's Favourite Airline" (a reflection on the airline's cheeky and cheerful image), "Come on, lets fly" and "To Fly, To Save" (a cheeky take on British Airways' slogan "To Fly, To Serve"). Its current slogan is " (something) by easyJet" with "europe by easyJet" and "business by easyJet" being the most widely used.

Environment[link]

Winglet on an Airbus A319-100

In June 2007, EasyJet announced plans for construction of its own airliner, dubbed EcoJet. Featuring propfan engines, the EcoJet would feature an increase in fuel efficiency. It would be constructed with extensive use of carbon fibre composite material. The date for the first flight was given to be in 2015.^[29]

EasyJet is offering the possibility to carbon offset the CO₂ to their customers' trips for a surcharge via a calculator which calculates a passenger's carbon footprint.^[30]

In February 2011, EasyJet painted eight of its aircraft with a lightweight, thin "revolutionary nano technology coating" polymer. It works by reducing build-up of debris and reduces drag across the surface of the aircraft, thus reducing the fuel bill. It is estimated they could save 1–2% annually, equating to a £14 million reduction in fuel costs. The idea has already been used by US military aircraft and if successful EasyJet will apply the paint to its whole fleet.^[31]

In February 2012, easyJet announced the trial of "electric green taxiing system (EGTS)" where an electric motor is attached to the main gear to taxi the aircraft saving fuel.

Criticisms[link]

Boarding an EasyJet Airbus A319

EasyJet has also come under criticism in Germany for not observing European Union law on compensation (and assistance to passengers) in cases of denied boarding, delays or cancellations (Regulation 261/2004). In the case of cancellation, passengers should be reimbursed within one week. In 2006, EasyJet did not always refund tickets in a timely fashion. Passengers occasionally had to wait longer for reimbursement of their expenses.^[32][33]

EasyJet has campaigned to replace the air passenger duty (APD) tax in the UK with a new tax that varies depending on distance travelled and aircraft type.^[34]

In July 2008, the Advertising Standards Authority criticised a press campaign by EasyJet for a misleading environmental claim that its aircraft made 22% less emissions than rival airlines. The figures used were not based on emissions produced by an EasyJet aircraft or emissions produced by EasyJet airline overall as the ad implied, and ASA declared that airline had broken advertising rules. The judgement follows the airline being reprimanded in April 2007 after it made comments that its aircraft created 30% less pollution per passenger than some of its rivals.^[35]

Destinations[link]

European and North African destinations; focus cities indicated in grey

EasyJet's five largest bases in order of size are Gatwick, Milan-Malpensa, London-Luton, London-Stansted and Bristol. Newcastle airport is currently the airline's smallest base with 3 aircraft but EasyJet still offers more flights and destinations from here than all the non-base airports it serves.

EasyJet flies in a point to point model rather than the more traditional airline hub and spoke model where the passengers have to change aircraft in transit at a major airport. EasyJet prefers to fly to larger or primary airports usually close to major cities. For example EasyJet flies to the main Düsseldorf airport, instead of Weeze, the secondary airport serving Düsseldorf. Primary airports are not always close to the city they serve and in fact can be further than the city's minor airport, this is the case at Belfast, Gothenburg and Rome and in these cases, EasyJet still prefer to serve the major airport.

EasyJet has 19 European 'bases'. Despite EasyJet being a British airline, and having a significant presence there, it has a significant presence in France, Germany, Italy, Spain and many other European countries. The United Kingdom is its biggest market, containing the airlines largest base and nine others as well as a total of six other non-base airports. Its three largest British bases in order of size are London's Gatwick, Luton and Stansted airports.

EasyJet's largest competitor is Ryanair, which unlike EasyJet has a focus on smaller or secondary airports and in recent years, has started targeting holiday makers. EasyJet focuses heavily on business passengers but operates a greater varierty of holiday destinations than Ryanair. However, EasyJet has a very low presence at holiday destinations like Greece with limted frequencies and only a small number of airports to fly from. Ryanair's is much higher, especially at all of the Canary Islands and some Greek Islands, in particular Kos and Rhodes. Ryanair often refers to EasyJet as a high fares airline but EasyJet often criticises Ryanair for its choice of airports.

Fleet[link]

Overview[link]

EasyJet Airbus A319 takes off in 2006

Airbus A319 in special livery, the hundredth Airbus to be delivered to easyJet, lands at Bristol Airport, England in 2008

The 200th EasyJet Airbus (including EasyJet Switzerland) features an inverted colour scheme and a small sticker on the nose

The EasyJet fleet consists of the following aircraft (at May 2012):^[36][37]

EasyJet is the largest operator of the Airbus A319.^[37] Subsidiary airline EasyJet Switzerland operates 15 Airbus A319 and 5 Airbus A320 aircraft under Swiss registrations, in addition to the above.^[38]

Fleet strategy and aircraft orders[link]

In common with most other low-cost carriers, EasyJet has a philosophy of operating just one aircraft type. Initially it used Boeing 737 aircraft exclusively, but in October 2002 it ordered 120 Airbus A319 aircraft, plus 120 options, with CFM56-5B engines.^[12][39] Since then, the Boeings have been phased out, and all orders have been from the Airbus A320 family:

EasyJet's Airbus A319 aircraft were first introduced to EasyJet's Geneva base in October 2003.^[43] Due to toilet and galley configuration allowing the installation of more seats than a standard Airbus A319, EasyJet's Airbus A319 aircraft have two pairs of overwing exits, instead of the standard one pair configuration found on most Airbus A319 aircraft, to satisfy safety requirements.^[37][44][45] EasyJet has 33 outstanding options with Airbus valid until March 2013 and 40 outstanding options and purchase rights valid until 2015, which may be taken as any member of the Airbus A320 family.^[40]

Beginning in December 2006, the airline started to return the Boeing 737–700 aircraft to their lessors. The Belfast base was converted to an A319 operation; the conversion finished in March 2010 with a total of 6 A319 aircraft. EasyJet has returned all the Boeing 737 fleet by November 2011.

Through the acquisition of GB Airways, EasyJet inherited nine Airbus A320 and six Airbus A321 aircraft. This gave the airline some time to evaluate the feasibility of operating these larger gauge aircraft. Based on this evaluation, EasyJet decided to swap 25 A319 orders for A320 in July 2008 and later remove the A321 aircraft from the fleet.^{[6][20][22][23]}

In summer 2010, easyJet wet leased some 757s to keep up with demand. They were returned soon after.

In February 2012, easyJet announced it was reviewing the next generation of aircraft from Airbus, Boeing and Bombardier with a decision to be made between June and October 2012.

Aircraft operated[link]

An EasyJet Boeing 737–300 landing at Madrid Barajas International Airport in 2005

EasyJet has operated the following types of aircraft:^[46]

Services[link]

Booking[link]

Initially booking was by telephone only, with all EasyJet aircraft painted with the booking telephone number. There is no incentive for travel agents to sell EasyJet bookings because there is no commission, a standard practice for the low cost carriers.^[12]

In December 1997, Russell Sheffield of Tableau, one of EasyJet's design and adverting agencies, suggested to Stelios Haji-Ioannou that he should consider trialling a website for direct bookings. Haji-Ioannou's reply was "The Internet is for nerds, it will never make money for my business!". However Tony Anderson, EasyJet's marketing director, and Michael Coltman, EasyJet's business manager, saw the potential and approved a website trial involving putting a different telephone reservations number on the website, to track success. Once Haji-Ioannou saw the results he changed his mind, and EasyJet commissioned Tableau as partners to develop an e-commerce website capable of offering real-time online booking from April 1998—the first low cost carrier to do so in Europe.^[12][47][48]

In December 2001, easyJet switched from a third-party reservation system to an in-house system designed and developed for them by BulletProof Technologies, Inc.^[49] Internet bookings were priced cheaper than booking over the phone, to reflect the reduced call centre costs and the aircraft were repainted with the web address. Within a year over 50% of bookings were made using the web site; by April 2004 the figure had jumped to 98%. Now, flights can only be booked over the Internet except during the 3 months immediately before the flight when telephone booking is also available.^[12]

Cabin and onboard services[link]

EasyJet Airbus A319 cabin

EasyJet's aircraft cabins are configured in a single class, high density layout.^[50]

The airline's main fleet, comprising Airbus A319 and A320 aircraft, carry up to 156 and 180 passengers respectively, depending on layout. A typical Airbus A319 carries approximately 140 passengers in a single class configuration, but as EasyJet does not serve meals on their shorter flights, the airline opted for smaller galleys and had a lavatory installed in unused space at the rear of the aircraft. The space saved by having smaller galleys allowed for the installation of 156 seats. Due to this seating arrangement, EasyJet's Airbus A319 aircraft have two pairs of overwing exits, instead of the standard one pair configuration found on most Airbus A319 aircraft, to satisfy safety requirements.^[37][44][45]

EasyJet does not provide complimentary meals or beverages on board its flights (apart for some occasional charter flights operated by the airline). Passengers may purchase items on board from the "EasyJet Bistro" buy on board programme.^[51] Products include sandwiches, toasted sandwiches, chocolate, snacks, hot drinks, soft drinks and alcoholic drinks. Onboard sales are an important part of the airline's ancillary revenue. EasyJet also sells gifts such as fragrances, cosmetics, gadgets and EasyJet-branded items onboard, as well as tickets for airport transfer services or train tickets.

EasyJet had previously provided in-flight entertainment (IFE) on certain aircraft (the ex GB Airways fleet), using drop-down screens on some Airbus aircraft. During some of 2009 and 2010 they also provided passengers with the ability to rent portable Sony media players with movies and games on selected flights. Currently, Mezzo devices are available to rent on selected flights from Manchester and Gatwick. EasyJet has headphones available to purchase, along with a travel pillow and eyeshades, subject to stock. EasyJet provides an in-flight magazine, published monthly, containing articles of interest to its customers and destination guides. As of May 2010, EasyJet has been selling copies of Hello, and The Sunday Times, all at cover price. The Times is also available onboard, at a price of £1, subject to stock.^[52]

EasyJet Hotels and EasyJet Holidays[link]

On 14 December 2004, EasyJet and Hotelopia, a subsidiary of First Choice Holidays, launched the co-branded EasyJetHotels accommodation booking service. EasyJetHotels offers accommodation products throughout the EasyJet network. Customers booking flights through the EasyJet website are provided with quotes for a number of hotels at their destination. Alternatively, customers can book accommodation separately at the EasyJetHotels website.^[53][54]

On 28 June 2007, EasyJet announced it would expand its relationship with Hotelopia by launching EasyJetHolidays, which offers Travel Trust Association protected package holidays made up of EasyJet flights and Hotelopia accommodation products.^[55][56]

On 6 November 2010, easyJet announced its venture with Low Cost Travel Group to offer EasyJet flights, dynamically packaged with Low Cost Travel Group's accommodation through the EasyJet Holidays website. As of March 2011, EasyJet Holidays have provided holidays and city breaks to all easyJet routes.^[57]

See also[link]

	England portal
	Companies portal
	Aviation portal

• Low-cost carrier
• Fastjet

Notes[link]

References[link]

Bibliography[link]

• Jones, Lois (2007). Easyjet: the Story of Britain's Biggest Low-Cost Airline. London: Aurum Press. ISBN 1-84513-247-5. 

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: EasyJet

• Official website

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Gatwick Airport London Gatwick Airport
IATA: LGW – ICAO: EGKK
Summary
Airport type		Public
Owner		Global Infrastructure Partners
Operator		Gatwick Airport Limited
Serves		London
Location		Crawley, West Sussex, United Kingdom
Hub for		British Airways
Elevation AMSL		203 ft / 62 m
Coordinates		51°08′53″N 000°11′25″W / 51.14806°N 0.19028°W / 51.14806; -0.19028Coordinates: 51°08′53″N 000°11′25″W / 51.14806°N 0.19028°W / 51.14806; -0.19028
Website		www.gatwickairport.com
Map
LGW Location within West Sussex, England
Runways
Direction	Length		Surface
	m	ft
08L/26R	2,565	8,415	Asphalt/Concrete
08R/26L	3,316	10,879	Asphalt/Concrete
Statistics (2011)
Passengers			33,674,264
Passenger change 10-11			7.3%
Aircraft Movements			251,067
Movements change 10-11			4.4%
Sources: UK AIP at NATS[1] Statistics from the UK Civil Aviation Authority[2]

Gatwick Airport (IATA: LGW, ICAO: EGKK) is located 3.1 mi (5.0 km) north of the centre of Crawley,^[1] West Sussex, and 29.5 mi (47.5 km) south of Central London.^[3] Also known as London Gatwick,^[4] it is London's second largest international airport and second busiest by total passenger traffic in the United Kingdom after Heathrow.^[5] Furthermore, Gatwick is Europe's leading airport for point-to-point flights^{[nb 1]} and has the world's busiest single-use runway averaging 52 aircraft movements an hour.^[6][7] Its two terminals – North and South – cover an area of 810,000 sq ft (75,000 m²) and 1,300,000 sq ft (120,000 m²) respectively.^[8]

In 2011, over 33.6 million passengers passed through Gatwick.^[2]

Charter airlines generally prefer Gatwick over Heathrow as a base for London and the South East of England. From 1978 to 2008, many flights to and from the United States used Gatwick because of restrictions on the use of Heathrow implemented in the Bermuda II agreement between the UK and the US.^{[9][10][11][12][13]}. Under the agreement Heathrow allowed the right for only two US carrier and two UK carrier to serve flights to the United States. Currently, US Airways is the only US carrier that still serves Gatwick from the US. The airport is a base for scheduled operators Aer Lingus, British Airways (BA), EasyJet, Flybe, Monarch Airlines and Virgin Atlantic, as well as charter airlines including Thomas Cook Airlines and Thomson Airways. Gatwick is unique amongst London's airports in having a significant airline presence representing each of the three main airline business models: full service, low/no frills and charter.^[14] As of January 2011, these respectively accounted for 37, 51 and 12% of total passenger traffic.^[15]

BAA Limited and its predecessors, the British Airports Authority and BAA plc, owned and operated Gatwick continuously from 1 April 1966 until 2 December 2009.^[16][17][18] On 17 September 2008, BAA announced it would sell Gatwick following a report by the Competition Commission into BAA's market dominance in London and the South East. On 21 October 2009, it was announced that agreement had been reached to sell Gatwick to Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), the owners of London City Airport, for £1.51 billion. Of this amount, £55 million will depend on the airport's future traffic development and its owners' future capital structure (£10 million and £45 million respectively).^[19] The sale was formally completed on 3 December 2009. On this day, Gatwick's ownership passed from BAA to GIP.^[20] In early-2010, GIP reportedly sold minority stakes in Gatwick to the National Pension Service of Korea and Abu Dhabi Investment Authority.^[21][22] On 18 June 2010, it was reported that CalPERS, California's and the US's biggest state pension fund, had bought a 12.7% equity stake in Gatwick Airport from GIP.^[23][24] An announcement made in the Financial Times on 21 December 2010 stated that the Future Fund, a sovereign wealth fund set up by the Australian government, planned to buy a 17.2% stake in Gatwick Airport from GIP.^[25]

History[link]

The airport apron in 1973.

The airport apron in 1981 (note the increase in widebodied aircraft).

The airport control tower.

• 1241: The name "Gatwick" is first recorded, as Gatwik, the name of a manor, on the site of today's airport (under the northmost edge of North Terminal's aircraft taxiing area). Until the 19th century, it was owned by the De Gatwick family.^[26] Its name is derived from the Anglo-Saxon words gāt, 'goat', and wīc, 'dairy farm', i.e. 'goat farm'.^[27] (On the adjacent map, Gatwick Manor is at the northwest end of the racecourse; its name is somewhat obscured by the map's paper being eroded over an old crease. The site of the modern runway runs roughly from the racecourse to the lane junction at Hydefield farm southeast of Charlwood. Comparing old and new maps seems to show that the modern Gatwick Manor hotel is not the old Gatwick Manor but a rename for another old building, near Lowfield Heath.)
• 21 September 1841: The London and Brighton Railway opened, running near Gatwick Manor.
• 1890: The descendants of the original owners sold the area to the newly established Gatwick Race Course Company.
• 1891: The new owners opened a horse racecourse (Gatwick Racecourse), beside the London–Brighton railway, and a dedicated station including sidings for horse boxes.^[26] The course held steeplechase and flat races.
• 1916, 1917, 1918: During World War I the racecourse hosted the Grand National.^[26]

Airport infrastructure and airline operations[link]

1920–1945[link]

The Beehive

• Late 1920s: Land adjacent to the racecourse at Hunts Green Farm along Tinsley Green Lane was used as an aerodrome.
• August 1930: Following a change in land ownership, the aerodrome was licensed. It was called Gatwick Aerodrome.^[28]
• Later in 1930: The Surrey Aero Club was formed at the aerodrome by a Ronald Waters, who had been the manager of Home Counties Aircraft Service Ltd based at Penshurst Airfield in Kent. Surrey Aero Club used the old Hunts Green farmhouse as club house.^[29][30]
• 1932: Redwing Aircraft Company bought the aerodrome and operated a flying school. The aerodrome was also used for pilots flying in to races.
• 1933: The Air Ministry approved commercial flights from Gatwick. The aerodrome was sold for £13,500 to Morris Jackaman, an investor.
• 1934: Morris Jackaman formed a new airport company named Airports Limited. Hillman's Airways became Gatwick's first commercial airline operator as a result of starting scheduled services from the airport to Belfast and Paris.
• 1935: A new airline named Allied British Airways was formed, by a merger between Hillman's Airways, United Airways and Spartan Airways. The newly formed carrier, which subsequently shortened its name to British Airways, became Gatwick's principal operator.^[26]
• 6 July 1935: Gatwick Aerodrome closed for building works (building of the The Beehive (a circular terminal building) commenced).
• September 1935: A new railway station called Gatwick served by two trains an hour on the Victoria–Brighton line opened. (The present Gatwick station is on the same site.)
• 30 September 1935: Tinsley Green railway station opened 0.85 mi (1.37 km) south of the present Gatwick station.
• May 1936: Some flights started.
• 17 May 1936: The first scheduled flight to depart The Beehive was bound for Paris. The applicable air fare was £4 5s, including a first class rail ticket from London Victoria.^[26]
• 6 June 1936 Gatwick airport officially reopened; The Beehive officially opened. The Beehive was designed by Frank Hoar and included a subway to Gatwick Airport railway station that let passengers travel from London Victoria Station to the aircraft without stepping outside. Tinsley Green railway station was renamed Gatwick Airport.^{[31][32][33][34][35][36][37]}
• September and November 1936: Two fatal accidents questioned the airport's safety.^[38][39][40] Moreover, the area was prone to fog and waterlogging as a result of poor drainage due to heavy clay soils. This in turn caused the new subway to flood after rain.
• 1937: As a result and because longer landing strips were needed, the pre-war British Airways moved to Croydon Airport. Gatwick went back to private flying and was contracted as a Royal Air Force (RAF) flying school.^[26] The airport also attracted repair companies.
• September 1939: The Air Ministry requisitioned Gatwick.^[26]
• World War II: Although the airfield became a base for RAF night-fighters and an army co-operation squadron, it was mainly a repair and maintenance facility.^[41]
• 1940: Horse racing at Gatwick ceased.

1945–1958[link]

• 1946: Gatwick Airport was officially decommissioned, but the Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation continued to operate it as a civil airfield, initially for a six-month trial period.^[26] During that period, the airport provided maintenance facilities and charter companies flying war-surplus aircraft started to use it; however, persistent drainage issues affected the airport's usage. Most commercial air services were cargo flights. The original Gatwick railway station was renamed Gatwick Racecourse.
• November 1948: The owners warned that the airport could be de-requisitioned by November 1949 and revert to private use. Stansted was favoured as London's second airport and Gatwick's future was in doubt.
• 1950: Despite opposition from local authorities, the Cabinet decided that Gatwick was to be an alternative to Heathrow.
• May 1950: Gatwick's first chartered flight departed the original airport's grass runway for Calvi on the Mediterranean island of Corsica with a refuelling stop in Nice. Jersey-based UK independent^{[nb 2]} airline Air Transport Charter (C.I.) Ltd operated this flight under contract to UK package tour pioneer Vladimir Raitz's Horizon Holidays, using a 32-seat Douglas DC-3 carrying 11 passengers.^[42][43]
• July 1952: The Government said that the airport was to be developed, primarily to cater to aircraft diverted from Heathrow in bad weather.
• 1956–1958: Temporary closure for a £7.8 million renovation.^[26][41][44] During that period, British European Airways (BEA) continued using Gatwick for its helicopter operations.^[44] The redevelopment was carried out by Alfred McAlpine.^[45] It entailed diverting the A23 London—Brighton trunk road and the River Mole, and building the runway across the erstwhile racecourse site and rebuilding the former racecourse railway station alongside the new terminal.^[44] The main pier of what is now the South Terminal was built during this construction work.

1958–1970[link]

• 27 May 1958: The original Gatwick railway station, which had been rebuilt, reopened as Gatwick Airport. The railway station at Tinsley Green shut and never reopened.
• 30 May 1958: Before the official opening, Transair operated the first commercial air service from the new Gatwick;^[26][46][47] a Jersey Airlines de Havilland Heron was the first scheduled aircraft to arrive at the newly reconstructed airport.^[28][48]

A PEOPLExpress Boeing 747 at the satellite pier of the South Terminal in June 1983. The North Terminal is under construction in the background

• 9 June 1958: Queen Elizabeth II flew into the new airport in a de Havilland Heron of the Queen's Flight to perform the opening. The first "official" flight to depart Gatwick following the reopening ceremony was a BEA DC-3 operating a charter for Surrey County Council to Jersey and Guernsey.^[44] Gatwick was the world's first airport with a direct railway link and the first to combine mainline rail travel, trunk road facilities and an air terminal building in one unit.^[41] It was also one of the first to have an enclosed pier-based terminal, which allowed passengers to walk under cover to waiting areas close to aircraft with only a short walk outdoors.^[26] Another novel feature of Gatwick's new air terminal was its modular design. This permitted subsequent, phased expansion.^[44]
• 1958/59: BEA started using Gatwick. Sudan Airways and BWIA West Indies Airways were among Gatwick's first scheduled overseas airlines. The former's Blue Nile services were the first scheduled flights from Gatwick by a foreign airline.^{[nb 3]} These services operated between Khartoum and London Gatwick via Cairo, Athens and Rome, initially using Airwork Vickers Viscount aircraft. British United Airways (BUA) assumed this operation the following year, as a result of the Airwork – Hunting-Clan merger. (BUA were also acting as Sudan Airways's technical advisers.)^[49][50] US supplemental carriers^{[nb 4]} Seven Seas Airlines, Capitol International, President Airlines and Transocean Airlines, as well as various South European and Scandinavian charter operators, figured prominently among Gatwick's early overseas users.^[50]
• Late 1950s: From here on, a number of Britain's private airlines established themselves at Gatwick. The first was Transair.^[51] It was followed by Airwork, Hunting-Clan and Morton Air Services. In July 1960, these merged to form British United Airways. Throughout the 1960s, BUA was Britain's largest independent airline. During that decade, it became Gatwick's largest resident airline. By the end of the decade, it also became the airport's leading scheduled operator, with a 44,100 mi (71,000 km) network of short, medium and long-haul routes across Europe, Africa and South America. These were served with contemporary BAC One-Eleven and Vickers VC10 jet aircraft.^[52]
• Early 1960s: Despite rapid expansion of BUA's and other airlines' scheduled activities at Gatwick, the airport was dominated by non-scheduled services well into the 1980s. The bulk of these were inclusive tour (IT) passenger services provided by a growing number of British independent operators and their overseas counterparts. During the 1960s, IT services accounted for between two-thirds and three-quarters of Gatwick's annual passengers, earning the airport its bucket and spade tag.^[50]
• 1962: Two additional piers were added.^[28]
• 1 May 1963: Non-scheduled operators began implementing the Ministry of Aviation's instruction to transfer all regular charter flights from Heathrow to Gatwick, restricting the former's use for non-scheduled operations to "occasional" charter flights only.^[53]
• 1964: Gatwick's original, relatively short 7,000 ft (2,100 m) late-1950s paved runway was extended by 1,200 ft (370 m) to 8,200 ft (2,500 m) due to new noise rules governing the operation of jet aircraft at airports close to or surrounded by densely populated urban areas.^[26][54] BEA Helicopters made Gatwick their administrative and engineering base.^[55]
• 1965: By now, each of the three piers was nearly 1,000 ft (300 m) long and the entire terminal complex had a floor area of 100,000 sq ft (9,300 m²).^[26][41] Fully extendible jet bridges were added when the piers were rebuilt and extended in the late 1970s and early 1980s.^[26]

1970–1999[link]

Inter-terminal transit track and Sofitel hotel. The North Terminal building is in the background

Gatwick's North Terminal building and transit station

• 1970: Second extension of Gatwick's runway by 875 ft (267 m) to 9,075 ft (2,766 m) to permit non-stop jet operations to the US east coast with a full payload and full-range/payload operations by British United and Caledonian BAC One-Eleven 500s.^[26][56] BEA Airtours made Gatwick their base.^[57]
• Late November 1970: BUA was acquired by the Scottish charter airline Caledonian Airways. The new airline was known as Caledonian//BUA. BUA's takeover by Caledonian enabled the latter to transform itself into a scheduled airline. In addition to scheduled routes inherited from BUA, it launched scheduled services to Europe, North and West Africa, North America as well as the Middle and Far East during the 1970s and '80s.
• September 1971: Caledonian//BUA became British Caledonian (BCal).
• November 1971: BCal commenced the first scheduled service by a wholly private UK airline since the 1930s between London and Paris from Gatwick to Le Bourget.^[58]
• November 1972: Laker Airways became the first operator of widebody aircraft at Gatwick, following the introduction of two McDonnell-Douglas DC-10-10 aircraft.^[59] Laker's DC-10 fleet expanded throughout the 1970s and early '80s. This included longer-range -30s, which were introduced from 1980.
• 1973: Third extension of Gatwick's runway to 10,165 ft (3,098 m) to allow non-stop narrowbody operations to the US west coast with a full payload and commercially viable, long-range widebody operations.^[26]
• April 1973: BCal inaugurated the first transatlantic scheduled services by a private UK airline to New York and Los Angeles.^[60][61]
• March and May 1977: BCal introduced its first two DC-10-30s at Gatwick.^[62]
• 26 September 1977: Laker Airways launched Skytrain, Gatwick's first daily long-haul, no frills flights to John F. Kennedy (JFK) Airport.^[63]
• Late 1970s: Several Government initiatives in support of Gatwick's development resulted in steady growth in passenger numbers in the late 1970s. Amongst these, were new policies seeking the transfer of all scheduled services between London and the Iberian peninsula from Heathrow to Gatwick^[64] and compelling all airlines that were planning to operate a scheduled service to or from London for the first time to use Gatwick instead of Heathrow. The latter policy was officially known as the "London [Air] Traffic Distribution Rules". It came into effect on 1 April 1978 and was applied retroactively from 1 April 1977. These rules were designed to achieve a fairer distribution of traffic between London Heathrow and London Gatwick, the UK's two main international gateway airports. The policy was aimed at increasing Gatwick's utilisation to help the airport make a profit.^[65][66] Another pro-active measure the Government took to aid Gatwick's development at the time was to grant permission for a high-frequency helicopter shuttle service linking both of London's main airports.^[67]
• 9 June 1978: The 20th anniversary of Gatwick's reopening by Queen Elizabeth II coincided with the joint inauguration by BCal, British Airways Helicopters and the BAA of a new helicopter shuttle service linking the airport with London Heathrow.^[68][69]
• August 1980: BCal launched the UK's first private scheduled air service to Hong Kong (via Dubai).^[60][61]
• 1982: BCal started to operate a small fleet of Boeing 747–200s at Gatwick.^[70]
• 1983: As passenger numbers grew, a circular satellite pier was added to the terminal building, connected to the main terminal by the UK's first automated people mover system^[26] (now replaced with a walkway and travelators). There was a need for more capacity and a second terminal was planned. As a result, construction began on the North Terminal, the largest construction project south of London in the 1980s. It cost £200 million.^[71][72][73]