{{Short description|none}} {{Use dmy dates|date=November 2019}} {{EngvarB|date=May 2019}} [[Gatwick Airport]] was in [[Surrey]] until 1974, when it became part of [[West Sussex]] as a result of a [[Local Government Act 1972#Reaction|county boundary change]]. The original, pre-[[World War II]] airport was built on the site of a manor in the parish of [[Charlwood]]. The land was first used as an aerodrome in the 1920s, and in 1933 commercial flights there were approved by the [[Air Ministry]].

==Origins== [[File:Aa oldgatwick airport00.jpg|alt=Old map of Gatwick Airport area|Gatwick Airport area in about 1925, with airport boundary in green. Gatwick Manor is at the northwest end of the racecourse. The modern runway runs roughly from the racecourse to the lane junction at Hydefield Farm, southeast of [[Charlwood]].|right|thumb]] * 1241: First record of the name "Gatwick" (as "Gatwik"). Gatwick was a [[Manorialism|manor]] in the parish of [[Charlwood]], a village in Surrey.<ref name="BAAGatHistory">{{cite web|url=http://www.gatwickairport.com/portal/page/Gatwick^General^About+Gatwick+Airport^Gatwick+lowdown^Our+history/2970b192ae41a110VgnVCM10000036821c0a____/448c6a4c7f1b0010VgnVCM200000357e120a____/|title=BAA Gatwick: Our History|year=2008|work=BAA Website|publisher=BAA (British Airports Authority)|accessdate=13 November 2008 |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20080803185110/http://www.gatwickairport.com/portal/page/Gatwick%5eGeneral%5eAbout+Gatwick+Airport%5eGatwick+lowdown%5eOur+history/2970b192ae41a110VgnVCM10000036821c0a____/448c6a4c7f1b0010VgnVCM200000357e120a____/ <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archivedate = 3 August 2008}}</ref> Gatwick manor house (not the same as the present Gatwick Manor Hotel) was on the site of today's airport, on the northern edge of the North Terminal's aircraft taxiing area; until the 19th century, it was owned by the De Gatwick family.<ref name="Gatwick_History">"Gatwick Airport History", Business & Community Reference Guide for in and around Crawley 2008/09, Wealden Marketing, 2008, p. 85</ref> Its name derives from the [[Old English language|Old English]] ''gāt'' (goat) and ''wīc'' (dairy farm); i.e. "goat farm".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.localhistories.org/names.html |title=The origins of some English place names |author=Lambert, Tim |quote= (-wick: ... Or it could mean a specialised farm 'e.g. Gatwick was a goat farm' ) |publisher=Localhistories.org |accessdate=15 August 2010}}</ref> * 12 July 1841: The [[London and Brighton Railway]] opened, and ran 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 [[Gatwick Racecourse|racecourse]] adjacent to the London-Brighton railway, to replace a racecourse in [[Croydon]], and [[Gatwick Airport railway station|a dedicated station]] included sidings for [[horse box|horse boxes]], and named Gatwick Racecourse Station.<ref name="Gatwick_History"/><ref name="Gwynne146–7">{{cite book|last=Gwynne|first=Peter|title=A History of Crawley|publisher=Phillimore & Co|location=Chichester|year=1990|edition=1st|pages=146–147|chapter=11 – Into the Twentieth Century|isbn=0-85033-718-6}}</ref> The course hosted [[Steeplechase (horse racing)|steeplechase]]s and [[flat race]]s. During its time as a racecourse, many days were cancelled due to fog, fog would later continue to cause problems for the airport including the fatal crash involving Turkish Prime Minister's plane in 1959.<ref>Woodward, Antony; Penn, Robert (2007). ''The Wrong Kind of Snow: The complete daily companion to the British weather''. London: Hodder & Stoughton. {{ISBN|978-0-340-93787-7}}.</ref> * 1907: Gatwick Golf Club was founded.<ref name="Golf">{{cite web|url=http://www.golfsmissinglinks.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=814 |title=Gatwick Golf Club, Horley, Surrey. |publisher=Golf’s Missing Links |date=2012 |accessdate=11 September 2014}}</ref> * 1916, 1917, 1918: The [[Grand National]] was run at Gatwick during the [[First World War]].<ref name="Gatwick_History"/> The Gatwick Golf Club disappeared following the end of the First World War.<ref name="Golf"/>

==1920–1945== * Late 1920s: Land adjacent to the racecourse (at Hunts Green Farm, along [[Tinsley Green, West Sussex|Tinsley Green]] Lane) was used as an [[aerodrome]]. The Hunts Green farmhouse on the land used for the aerodrome was converted into a clubhouse and terminal.<ref name="Gwynne146–7"/> * November 1928: From then, Dominion Aircraft Limited based its [[Avro 504]] G-AACX at Gatwick.<ref name="LGW_History" /> * 1 August 1930: Ronald Waters, manager of Home Counties Aircraft Service (based at [[Penshurst Airfield#1930s|Penshurst Airfield]] in [[Kent]]), who had come into possession of Gatwick Aerodrome, got a licence for it.<ref name="LGW_History">{{cite web |url=http://www.gatwickaviationsociety.org.uk/history.asp |title=History – 1958 |publisher=Gatwick Aviation Society website |accessdate=15 August 2010 |archive-date=2 October 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111002201253/http://www.gatwickaviationsociety.org.uk/history.asp |url-status=dead }}</ref> He founded the Surrey Aero Club there.<ref name=Flight101030>{{cite web|url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1930/untitled0%20-%201179.html |title=Surrey Aero Club Opening, Private Flying and Club News|work=Flight International |date=10 October 1930 |page=1115 |accessdate=14 January 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/southerncounties/content/image_galleries/gatwick_50_gallery.shtml |title=Gatwick at 50, Sussex History |work=BBC Southern Counties |date=May 2009 |accessdate=11 July 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/southerncounties/content/image_galleries/gatwick_50_gallery.shtml?3|title=Gatwick at 50|website=BBC Sussex & Surrey|accessdate=14 April 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gatwickaviationsociety.org.uk/history.asp |title=The History of Gatwick |publisher=Gatwick Aviation Society website |accessdate=8 August 2014 |archive-date=2 October 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111002201253/http://www.gatwickaviationsociety.org.uk/history.asp |url-status=dead }}</ref> * 2–3 August 1930: Flying began with pleasure flights for the local population in Avro 504s of Waters's Surrey Aero Club. * 1932: The Redwing Aircraft Company bought the aerodrome, and operated a flying school; it was also used for pilots flying in for races. * 1933: The [[Air Ministry]] approved commercial flights from Gatwick. * September 1933: A. M. (Morris) Jackaman, who owned several light aircraft, bought the aerodrome for £13,500. He had bold ideas for its future, such as expanding it to make it suitable to use as a relief aerodrome for [[Croydon Airport|London (Croydon) Airport]] and providing a regular service to [[Paris]] using [[de Havilland Dragon|de Havilland DH.84 Dragon]] aircraft. He overcame resistance from the [[Air Ministry]], which was concerned about the cost of draining the clayey land and diverting the [[River Mole]]. * 1934: Jackaman oversaw Gatwick's transition to a public aerodrome, licensed for non-private flights, and planned a proper terminal building linked to a new railway station on the adjacent [[Brighton Main Line]].<ref name="GG">{{cite book|last=King|first=John|author2=Tait, Geoff|title=Golden Gatwick: 50 Years of Aviation|publisher=British Airports Authority and the Royal Aeronautical Society|year=1980|chapter=Chapter 2}}</ref> He formed a new airport company, Airports Limited. [[Hillman's Airways]] became Gatwick's first commercial airline operator, beginning scheduled services from the airport to [[Belfast]] and Paris. * January 1935: Hillman's Airways moved to Gatwick from [[Stapleford Aerodrome]].<ref>''Airliner Classics (Gatwick: The first 50 years – Early beginnings)'', p. 27, Key Publishing, Stamford, July 2015</ref> * 1935: A new airline, [[British Airways Ltd.|Allied British Airways]], was formed with the merger of Hillman's Airways, [[United Airways Limited|United Airways]] and [[Spartan Air Lines]]. The new carrier, which later shortened its name to British Airways, became Gatwick's principal operator.<ref name="Gatwick_History"/> [[Dorking]] and Horley [[Rural District|Rural District Council]] was concerned about possible compensation claims from local residents and the threat of facing liability for flying accidents, and it "could see no benefit" to allowing further development of the aerodrome.<ref name="GG"/><ref name="Gwynne152">{{cite book|last=Gwynne|first=Peter|title=A History of Crawley|publisher=Phillimore & Co|location=Chichester|year=1990|edition=1st|pages=152|chapter=11 – Into the Twentieth Century|isbn=0-85033-718-6}}</ref> [[File:DH86-2112.jpg|alt=Biplane at terminal at night, with people in background|thumb|[[British Airways Ltd.]] [[de Havilland Express|DH.86]] at the Beehive terminal building in 1936]] * 6 July 1935: The aerodrome closed temporarily for renovations, which included building the "[[Beehive, Gatwick Airport|Beehive]]", the world's first circular terminal building. * September 1935: Tinsley Green [[Gatwick Airport railway station|station]] opened on time, served by two trains per hour on the [[London Victoria Station|Victoria]]-Brighton line. * 30 September 1935: [[Gatwick Airport railway station#Tinsley Green/Gatwick Airport Station|Tinsley Green station]] opened {{convert|0.85|mi|abbr=on}} south of the present Gatwick station. * October 1935: The contracted opening date, but it was not met, partly because of drainage problems. * 17 May 1936: The first scheduled flight departed from the Beehive terminal at 1:30 pm, bound for [[Paris – Le Bourget Airport|Paris Le Bourget]]. [[Jersey Airways]] operated this flight with a [[de Havilland Express|DH.86]] under contract to [[British Airways Ltd.]], whose [[aircraft livery|livery]] the aircraft wore. The airfare was £4 5[[shilling (British coin)|s]] (including a [[First class travel|first-class]] rail ticket from [[London Victoria Station]]), and there were up to three flights a day.<ref name="Gatwick_History"/><ref name="Woodley_20">''Gatwick Airport: The first 50 years'', Woodley, C., The History Press, Stroud, 2014, p. 20</ref> Later the same day, British Airways Ltd. introduced another new scheduled service from Gatwick to [[Malmö]], which routed via [[Amsterdam]], [[Hamburg]] and [[Copenhagen]]. Total travelling time between Gatwick and Malmö was six-and-a-half hours.<ref name="Woodley_20"/> * 25 May 1936: British Airways Ltd. and [[Southern Railway (UK)|Southern Railway]] jointly launched scheduled air services between Gatwick and the [[Isle of Wight]].<ref name="Woodley_20"/> * 1 June 1936: Tinsley Green station was renamed "Gatwick Airport".<ref>''Gatwick Airport: The first 50 years'', Woodley, C., The History Press, Stroud, 2014, p. 16</ref> * 6 June 1936: The airport was officially reopened by the [[Secretary of State for Air]], [[Philip Cunliffe-Lister, 1st Earl of Swinton|Lord Swinton]]. It featured four grass landing strips which were linked to the terminal area by two [[concrete]] [[taxiway]]s, one each for arriving and departing aircraft respectively.<ref>''Gatwick Airport: The first 50 years'', Woodley, C., The History Press, Stroud, 2014, p. 17</ref> The Beehive, the new terminal, was officially opened the same day. The Beehive was designed by [[Frank Hoar]] and incorporated several novel features, including a subway to the railway station at Tinsley Green which allowed passengers to travel from Victoria Station to the aircraft without stepping outside (with a transfer time from train to plane of as little as 20 minutes<ref name="GG"/><ref name="Blow">{{cite book|last=Blow|first=Christopher J.|title=Transport Terminals and Modal Interchanges: Planning and Design|publisher=Elsevier|year=2005|pages=3–5|chapter=History – Landmarks in the Twentieth Century|isbn=0-7506-5693-X|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZcAoO6-99tAC&q=%22Morris+Jackaman%22&pg=PA3}}</ref>). [[Penshurst Airfield#History|Air Travel Ltd]] (a company specialising in aircraft and engine overhauls which had relocated to Gatwick from [[Penshurst Airfield|Penshurst]]) moved into the new airport's No. 1 [[hangar]].<ref>''Gatwick Airport: The first 50 years'', Woodley, C., The History Press, Stroud, 2014, p. 27</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1936/1936%20-%201511.html |title=Gatwick's send-off |work=Flight |date=11 June 1936 |pages= 616, [http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1936/1936%20-%201512.html 617], [http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1936/1936%20-%201513.html 618], [http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1936/1936%20-%201516.html 619] |accessdate=12 July 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1936/1936%20-%201475.html |title=Modern Airport – Features of Gatwick, London's Latest Terminal: Rational Building Layout: Ground and Air Traffic Control: Ancillary Services |work=Flight |date=4 June 1936 |pages= 602, [http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1936/1936%20-%201478.html 603], [http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1936/1936%20-%201479.html 604] |accessdate=12 July 2011}}</ref> * July 1936: British Airways Ltd. inaugurated regular night mail flights linking Gatwick with [[Cologne]] and [[Hanover]].<ref>''Gatwick Airport: The first 50 years'', Woodley, C., The History Press, Stroud, 2014, p. 24</ref> * September and November 1936: Two fatal accidents happened, raising questions about the airport's safety.<ref name="September1936Crash1">{{cite web|url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1936/1936%20-%202620.html |title=The Gatwick Accident, Commercial Aviation |work=Flight |date=24 September 1936 |page= 327 |accessdate=13 July 2011}}</ref><ref name="September1936Crash2">{{cite web|url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1936/1936%20-%202865.html |title=Gatwick and Mirabella, Commercial Aviation |work=Flight |date=22 October 1936 |page= 420 |accessdate=13 July 2011}}</ref><ref name="November1936Crash">{{cite web|url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1936/1936%20-%203281.html |title=The Crawley Accident, Commercial Aviation |work=Flight |date=20 November 1936 |page= 590 |accessdate=13 July 2011}}</ref> The area was foggy, and its clay soil drained poorly; this caused the new subway to flood after rain. * 17 February 1937: Gatwick was declared unserviceable due to waterlogging following repeated, heavy rainfalls. Because of this tendency to flood, and because longer landing strips were needed, the pre-war British Airways moved to [[Croydon Airport]].<ref>''Gatwick Airport: The first 50 years'', Woodley, C., The History Press, Stroud, 2014, p. 26</ref> Gatwick returned to private flying, and was used as a [[Royal Air Force]] (RAF) flying school.<ref name="Gatwick_History"/> * October 1937: The [[No. 19 Elementary and Reserve Flying Training School RAF]] (E&RFTS) began instructing future RAF pilots at Gatwick on [[de Havilland Tiger Moth]] and [[Hawker Hart]] [[biplane]]s.<ref>''Airliner Classics (Gatwick: The first 50 years – Early beginnings)'', pp. 28/9, Key Publishing, Stamford, July 2015</ref> * 1938: [[Airwork Services|Airwork General Trading Co.]] moved into the hangar British Airways Ltd. had occupied at Gatwick. This enabled [[Heston Aerodrome|Heston]]-based Airwork to expand its aircraft manufacturing capacity on behalf of the [[Civilian Repair Organisation]] (CRO), which had awarded it a contract to modify [[Armstrong Whitworth Whitley|Whitley]] bombers for the RAF.<ref>''Gatwick Airport: The first 50 years'', Woodley, C., The History Press, Stroud, 2014, p. 29</ref> [[Civilian Repair Organisation|Southern Aircraft (Gatwick) Ltd.]] was another company working under contract to the CRO at Gatwick at the time. It had been [[licensed production|licensed]] to assemble [[Stinson Reliant]]s and [[Beechcraft Model 18#Specifications (UC-45 Expeditor)|Beechcraft Expeditor]]s for the [[Royal Navy]] and also repaired damaged [[Bristol Beaufighter|Beaufighter]]s.<ref name=LGW_1stHalfCentury_29>''Airliner Classics (Gatwick: The first 50 years – The war years)'', p. 29, Key Publishing, Stamford, July 2015</ref> * 25 June 1938: The first [[Daily Express]] [[air show|Air Display]] was held at Gatwick. Aircraft participating in the [[flypast]] included a [[Short Empire]] [[flying boat]], a [[Deutsche Luft Hansa|Lufthansa]] [[Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor|Focke-Wulf Condor]], a [[Sabena]] [[Savoia-Marchetti SM.83]], several RAF types and [[aerobatics|aerobatic]] aircraft.<ref>''Airliner Classics (Gatwick: The first 50 years – Early beginnings)'', p. 29, Key Publishing, Stamford, July 2015</ref> * 1 September 1939: No. 19 E&RFTS ended its activities at Gatwick.<ref name=LGW_1stHalfCentury_29/> * 3 September 1939: Following the [[United Kingdom declaration of war on Germany (1939)|declaration of war on Germany]], all civilian flying at Gatwick and elsewhere in the UK stopped. As a consequence, civil [[aircraft maintenance]] and manufacturing activities at the airport stopped as well.<ref>''Gatwick Airport: The first 50 years'', Woodley, C., The History Press, Stroud, 2014, p. 30</ref> This resulted in the airport being requisitioned by the Air Ministry,<ref name="Gatwick_History"/> and becoming a base for RAF [[night-fighter]]s and an [[RAF Army Cooperation Command|Army co-operation]] squadron during World War II (primarily for repairs and maintenance and as an alternative to [[RAF Kenley]] in the event that Kenley was rendered inoperable by enemy action).<ref name="Gatwick_Redevelopment">''Aeroplane – Britain's Airports: A New Era'', Vol. 111, No. 2841, p. 5, Temple Press, London, 31 March 1966</ref><ref name=LGW_1stHalfCentury_29/> * December 1939: The operations manager of British Airways Ltd., which had begun the process of merging with [[Imperial Airways]] to form [[British Overseas Airways Corporation]] (BOAC), inspected Gatwick to assess its suitability as a base for the combined operations of the merged airline.<ref name=LGW_1stHalfCentury_29/> * 1940: BOAC maintenance personnel began overhauling [[Armstrong Whitworth Ensign]]s and other aircraft types at Gatwick.<ref name=LGW_1stHalfCentury_29/> Horse racing at Gatwick ended and never restarted. * 1940 and 1941: RAF units relocated to Gatwick from [[France]]. The airport became closely associated with the [[RAF Army Cooperation Command]]. As a result, several Army Cooperation Command aircraft were stationed at Gatwick. These included [[Westland Lysander]]s, [[Curtiss P-40 Warhawk|Curtiss Tomahawk]]s and [[North American P-51 Mustang|North American Mustang]]s.<ref name=LGW_1stHalfCentury_29/> * Late 1942: Gatwick began receiving RAF and [[United States Army Air Forces|USAAF]] bombers that were damaged or running short of fuel. The most common types were [[Avro Lancaster]]s, [[Handley Page Halifax]]es, [[Short Stirling]]s and [[Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress]]es.<ref name=LGW_1stHalfCentury_29/> * January 1945: Gatwick was taken over by the [[Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force]] Disarmament Unit. As a result, it received a large number of [[List of aircraft of the United Kingdom in World War II#Transport and Communications aircraft|transport and communications aircraft]].<ref name=LGW_1stHalfCentury_29/> Royal Air Force Squadrons: {{columns-list|colwidth=25em| * [[No. 2 Squadron RAF]] * [[No. 4 Squadron RAF]] * [[No. 14 Squadron RAF]] * [[No. 18 Squadron RAF]] * [[No. 19 Squadron RAF]] * [[No. 26 Squadron RAF|No. 26 (South African) Squadron RAF]] * [[No. 53 Squadron RAF]] * [[No. 57 Squadron RAF]] * [[No. 63 Squadron RAF]] * [[No. 65 Squadron RAF|No. 65 (East India) Squadron RAF]] * [[No. 80 Squadron RAF]] * [[No. 92 Squadron RAF|No. 92 (East India) Squadron RAF]] * [[No. 98 Squadron RAF]] * [[No. 116 Squadron RAF]] * [[No. 141 Squadron RAF]] * [[No. 168 Squadron RAF]] * [[No. 171 Squadron RAF]] * [[No. 175 Squadron RAF]] * [[No. 183 Squadron RAF|No. 183 (Gold Coast) Squadron RAF]] * [[No. 229 Squadron RAF]] * [[No. 239 Squadron RAF]] * [[No. 268 Squadron RAF]] * [[No. 274 Squadron RAF]] * [[No. 287 Squadron RAF]] * [[No. 309 Polish Fighter-Reconnaissance Squadron]] * [[400 Tactical Helicopter Squadron|No. 400 Squadron RCAF]] * [[No. 414 Squadron RCAF]] * [[430 Tactical Helicopter Squadron|No. 430 Squadron RCAF]] * [[No. 613 Squadron RAuxAF|No. 613 (City of Manchester) Squadron AAF]] * [[No. 655 Squadron RAF]] }} Royal Air Force units: {{columns-list|colwidth=25em| * [[No. 1 Aircraft Delivery Flight RAF]] * [[No. 1 Anti-Aircraft Calibration Flight RAF]] * No. 1 Concealment and Decoy Unit * [[No. 8 Anti-Aircraft Co-operation Unit RAF]] * No. 13 Personnel Transit Centre * [[No. 19 Elementary and Reserve Flying Training School RAF]] * [[No. 74 Wing RAF|No. 74 (Bomber) Wing RAF]] * [[No. 123 Airfield Headquarters RAF]] * [[No. 129 Airfield Headquarters RAF]] * [[No. 130 Airfield Headquarters RAF]] * [[No. 162 Gliding School RAF]] * No. 404 Air Stores Park * No. 407 Air Ammunition Park * No. 412 (Polish) Repair & Salvage Unit * [[No. 1311 Mobile Wing RAF Regiment]] * [[No. 1335 Wing RAF Regiment]] * [[No. 1336 Wing RAF Regiment]] * [[No. 1337 Wing RAF Regiment]] * [[No. 1338 Wing RAF Regiment]] * [[No. 2701 Squadron RAF Regiment]] * [[No. 2702 Squadron RAF Regiment]] * [[No. 2710 Squadron RAF Regiment]] * [[No. 2736 Squadron RAF Regiment]] * [[No. 2742 Squadron RAF Regiment]] * [[No. 2749 Squadron RAF Regiment]] * [[No. 2765 Squadron RAF Regiment]] * [[No. 2773 Squadron RAF Regiment]] * [[No. 2786 Squadron RAF Regiment]] * [[No. 2792 Squadron RAF Regiment]] * [[No. 2793 Squadron RAF Regiment]] * [[No. 2798 Squadron RAF Regiment]] * [[No. 2822 Squadron RAF Regiment]] * [[List of RAF Regiment units#2800-2899|No. 2880 Squadron RAF Regiment]] * [[No. 2881 Squadron RAF Regiment]] * [[No. 2883 Squadron RAF Regiment]] * [[No. 2895 Squadron RAF Regiment]] * Canadian Casualty Air Evacuation Unit * Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Forces (RAF) Communication Squadron }}

==1945–1958== * 1946: The airport was officially decommissioned on 31 August,<ref name=LGW_1stHalfCentury_29/> but the [[Department for Transport|Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation]] continued operating it as a civil airfield (initially for a six-month trial period).<ref name="Gatwick_History"/> Airwork provided maintenance at Gatwick and other charter airlines, flying war-surplus aircraft, began using the airport despite its persistent drainage problem. Most commercial air services were cargo flights. [[Aviation Traders#History|Bond Air Services]] was one of the first cargo charter airlines to move to Gatwick; it began flying converted [[Handley Page Halifax|Halifax]] bombers from the airport.<ref name=LGW_1stHalfCentury_30>''Airliner Classics (Gatwick: The first 50 years – Post-war commercial operations)'', p. 30, Key Publishing, Stamford, July 2015</ref> * November 1946: Customs facilities began being provided at Gatwick. * March 1947: [[Luton Airport|Luton]]-based [[Hunting-Clan Air Transport|Hunting Air Transport]] established a base at Gatwick. It became the airport's first operator of post-World War II British-designed aircraft following delivery of a [[de Havilland Dove]] and two [[Vickers VC.1 Viking|Vickers Viking]]s. (Hunting moved its base to [[RAF Bovingdon|Bovingdon]] soon after it had taken delivery of the Vikings.)<ref name="Woodley_46">''Gatwick Airport: The first 50 years'', Woodley, C., The History Press, Stroud, 2014, p. 46</ref> * January 1948: Airwork converted war-surplus [[Douglas C-47 Skytrain|Douglas Dakota]] aircraft for civil use at Gatwick, with work being carried out on up to 35 aircraft simultaneously. This included all [[British European Airways]] (BEA) aircraft, as well as many BOAC, [[Aer Lingus]] and [[KLM]] aircraft.<ref name="Woodley_46"/> * 1948: The second Daily Express Air Display at Gatwick drew a crowd of 70,000. It included an RAF flypast and flying displays by a [[British South American Airways]] [[Avro Tudor]] and a KLM [[Douglas DC-6]].<ref name=LGW_1stHalfCentury_30/> * November 1948: The airport's owners warned that it might revert to private use by November 1949; [[London Stansted Airport|Stansted]] was favoured as London's second airport, and Gatwick's future was unclear. * 1949: The third and final Daily Express Air Display was held at Gatwick.<ref name=LGW_1stHalfCentury_30/> * 1950: Despite local opposition, the [[Cabinet of the United Kingdom|Cabinet]] chose Gatwick as an alternative to [[London Heathrow Airport|Heathrow]] (then known as [[History of London Heathrow Airport#After World War II|London Airport]]). BEA launched a seasonal scheduled service to [[Alderney]] in the [[Channel Islands]], which operated for three consecutive summer seasons until 1952. At the time, there were three operational runways. These were aligned South-West–North-East, East–West and South-East–North-West. The first was {{Convert|4200|ft|abbr=on}} long, {{Convert|150|ft|abbr=on}} wide and covered in [[Marsden matting|steel mesh]]; the second was {{Convert|3600|ft|abbr=on}} long, {{Convert|150|ft|abbr=on}} wide and covered in steel mesh as well; the third was of the same length and width as the second but was grass-covered.<ref>''Classic Aircraft (Gone but not forgotten ... BEA: Highlands and Islands – Never on a Sunday)'', Vol. 45, No. 6, p. 46, Ian Allan Publishing, Hersham, June 2012</ref><ref>''Gatwick Airport: The first 50 years'', Woodley, C., The History Press, Stroud, 2014, p. 48</ref> * May 1950: Gatwick's first [[charter flight]] left the airport's original grass runway for [[Calvi, Haute-Corse|Calvi]] on [[Corsica]] (with a refuelling stop in [[Nice]]). [[Jersey]]-based UK independent<ref group=nb>independent from [[government-owned corporation]]s</ref> airline [[Air Transport Charter]] operated this flight under contract to UK [[package tour]] pioneer [[Vladimir Raitz]]'s [[Horizon Travel|Horizon Holidays]] with a 32-seat [[Douglas DC-3]] carrying 11 passengers.<ref>''Classic Aircraft (Hindsight)'', p. 14, Ian Allan Publishing, Hersham, March 2012</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.travelweekly.co.uk/Articles/2010/09/14/34686/obituary-vladimir-raitz-founder-of-the-package-holiday.html |title=Obituary: ''Vladimir Raitz – founder of the package holiday'' |publisher=travelweekly |date=14 September 2010 |accessdate=22 January 2012}}</ref> * September 1951: [[British Airways Helicopters#Helicopter Experimental Unit|BEA's Experimental Helicopter Unit]] moved to Gatwick from [[Peterborough]].<ref name=LGW_1stHalfCentury_30/> [[File:Bristol 171 Sycamore G-AMWG BEA Gatwick 08.04.55 edited-3.jpg|thumb|right|BEA [[Bristol Sycamore]] helicopter at its Gatwick base in 1955.]] * 1952: BEA established a base at Gatwick for its [[helicopter]] operations.<ref name="BAH">{{cite web|url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1985/1985%20-%200614.html |title=BAH is moving ... to Aberdeen, Rotary Briefs, Business Aviation|work=Flight International |date=2 March 1985 |page=12 |accessdate=2 June 2012}}</ref> [[Silver City Airways]] introduced Gatwick's first [[air ferry|car ferry flight]]s. These were seasonal, operating in the summer twice a day between Gatwick and [[Le Touquet - Côte d'Opale Airport|Le Touquet]]. They were flown with [[Bristol Freighter|Bristol 170 Mk 31 Freighter]]s, which were replaced with larger [[Bristol Superfreighter|Mk 32 Superfreighter]]s from April 1955.<ref name="Woodley_45_50">''Gatwick Airport: The first 50 years'', Woodley, C., The History Press, Stroud, 2014, pp. 45, 50</ref> * July 1952: The [[Government of the United Kingdom|British government]] confirmed that the airport would be renovated to provide sufficient capacity for an expected doubling of aircraft movements in the London area by 1960 and for aircraft diverted from Heathrow in bad weather.<ref name=LGW_1stHalfCentury_31/> * 1953: [[Jersey Airlines]] began flying from Gatwick to Alderney. The airline's first scheduled service from the airport was flown with [[de Havilland Heron|de Havilland DH.114 Heron]] aircraft.<ref name=LGW_1stHalfCentury_31>''Airliner Classics (Gatwick: The first 50 years – Post-war commercial operations)'', p. 31, Key Publishing, Stamford, July 2015</ref> * 17 January 1956: The Gatwick Airport Consultative Committee held its first meeting.<ref>''Gatwick Airport: The first 50 years'', Woodley, C., The History Press, Stroud, 2014, p. 52</ref> * 1956 to 1958: The airport was closed for the £7.8&nbsp;million renovation;<ref name="Gatwick_History"/><ref name="Gatwick_Redevelopment"/><ref name="GoldenGatwick_8">''Golden Gatwick—50 Years of Aviation'', Chapter 8</ref> during that period, BEA continued using Gatwick for its helicopter operations.<ref name="GoldenGatwick_8"/> The renovations were performed by [[Alfred McAlpine]];<ref>''The Road to Success: Alfred McAlpine 1935–1985'', p. 54, Tony Gray, Rainbird Publishing, 1987</ref> they entailed diverting the [[A23 road|A23]] [[London]]–[[Brighton]] [[trunk road]] and the [[River Mole]], building a runway across the former racecourse and rebuilding the former [[Gatwick Airport railway station|racecourse railway station]] next to the new terminal.<ref name="GoldenGatwick_8"/> The new, {{Convert|7000|ft|abbr=on}} concrete runway was the first in Britain to feature [[taxiway|high-speed turn-offs on to a parallel taxiway]].<ref>''Gatwick Airport: The first 50 years'', Woodley, C., The History Press, Stroud, 2014, pp. 51, 75</ref> The masterplan for the new airport also provided for subsequent construction of second {{Convert|7000|ft|abbr=on}} runway, as part of a second phase, northward extension of the airfield.<ref name=LGW_1stHalfCentury_31/>

==1958–1969== * Late 1950s and after: A number of British contemporary private airlines relocated to Gatwick from rival airports that closed down, closed to commercial air traffic and/or could not accommodate modern aircraft, including large commercial [[jet aircraft]] such as the [[Boeing 707]] and [[Douglas DC-8]].<ref>''Gatwick Airport: The first 50 years'', Woodley, C., The History Press, Stroud, 2014, pp. 53/4, 132–136</ref> * 28 May 1958: The original Gatwick railway station (which had been rebuilt) reopened as Gatwick Airport station, and Tinsley Green station was closed.<ref name=LGW_1stHalfCentury_31/> * 30 May 1958: The first commercial air service to use the rebuilt airport was operated by [[Transair (UK)|Transair]] with a [[Vickers Viscount]] carrying troops from [[Malta (island)|Malta]]; it landed at 3:45 pm.<ref name="Gatwick_History"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1974/1974%20-%201230.html |title=Gatwick – 1974 |work=Flight International |date=22 August 1974 |page= 218 |accessdate=15 August 2010}}</ref><ref>Cooper, B., ''Got your number'', ''Golden Gatwick'', ''Skyport'', Gatwick edition, Hounslow, 6 June 2008, p. 12</ref><ref name=LGW_1stHalfCentury_32>''Airliner Classics (Gatwick: The first 50 years – Post-war commercial operations)'', p. 32, Key Publishing, Stamford, July 2015</ref> (The first scheduled air service to use the rebuilt airport was operated by Jersey Airlines with a de Havilland Heron.<ref name="LGW_History"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://jerseyairlines.org/bernard.html |title=The early Days |publisher=Jersey Airlines |accessdate=15 August 2010}}</ref>) * May–June 1958: Transair became the first airline to establish a base at the new Gatwick.<ref>''Gatwick Airport: The first 50 years'', Woodley, C., The History Press, Stroud, 2014, pp. 53, 76</ref> * 9 June 1958: Official opening. Queen [[Elizabeth II]] flew into Gatwick in a de Havilland Heron of the [[Air transport of the Royal Family and government of the United Kingdom|Queen's Flight]] for the opening. The first "official" flight after the reopening ceremony was a BEA [[British European Airways#Expansion, modernisation and commercialisation (1951–1960)|"Pionair" class]] [[Douglas DC-3|DC-3]] operating a [[charter flight|charter]] for [[Surrey|Surrey County Council]] to Jersey and [[Guernsey]].<ref name="GoldenGatwick_8"/><ref name=LGW_1stHalfCentury_32/> Gatwick was the world's first airport with a direct railway link and the first to combine [[main line (railway)|mainline rail]], [[trunk road]] facilities and an [[airport terminal|air terminal]] building in one unit.<ref name="Gatwick_Redevelopment"/> It was also one of the first with an enclosed [[pier (architecture)|pier]]-based terminal, which allowed passengers to walk under cover to waiting areas near the aircraft (with only a short walk outdoors).<ref name="Gatwick_History"/> At the time, this comprised a single pier (the central and main pier of what is now the South Terminal) with 11 aircraft stands. Another feature of Gatwick's new air terminal was its [[modular design]], permitting subsequent, phased expansion.<ref name=LGW_1stHalfCentury_32/><ref name="GoldenGatwick_8"/> * 1958 and 1959: [[Sudan Airways]] and [[BWIA West Indies Airways]] were among Gatwick's first scheduled overseas airlines. The former's "[[Blue Nile]]" service was the first scheduled flight from Gatwick by a foreign airline.<ref group=nb>launched on 8 June 1959</ref> The service, between [[Khartoum]] and Gatwick via [[Cairo]], [[Athens]] and [[Rome]], initially used [[Airwork Services#Airline operations|Airwork]] [[Vickers Viscount|Viscount]] aircraft. US supplemental carriers<ref group=nb>holders of supplemental air carrier certificates authorised to operate non-scheduled passenger and cargo services to supplement the scheduled operations of certificated route air carriers; airlines holding supplemental air carrier certificates were also known as "nonskeds" in the US</ref> [[Capitol Air Lines|Capitol International]], [[Overseas National Airways]] (ONA), President Airlines, Seven Seas Airlines and [[Transocean Airlines]] and several [[Southern Europe|South European]] and [[Scandinavia]]n charter airlines were among the airport's early overseas users.<ref name="GoldenGatwick_9"/> Among the [[transatlantic flight]]s Gatwick received during that period were several [[Pan American World Airways|Pan American]] aircraft that diverted from London Airport due to bad weather in the Heathrow area. This included the first appearance of a Boeing 707 at the airport.<ref>''Gatwick Airport: The first 50 years'', Woodley, C., The History Press, Stroud, 2014, p. 76</ref> * February 1959: Transair assumed the operation of the [[Airwork Services#Airline operations|African "Safari"]] low-fare flights from owner Airwork, along with two dedicated Viscount aircraft. This resulted in the service's London terminal moving from [[Blackbushe Airport|Blackbushe]] to Gatwick. Airwork ended its manufacturing and large-scale, third party aircraft maintenance activities at Gatwick following completion of a large scheduled servicing and repair contract for RAF [[North American F-86 Sabre|F-86 Sabre]] [[fighter aircraft|fighter]]s stationed in [[West Germany]], which employed 550 at its peak.<ref>''Gatwick Airport: The first 50 years'', Woodley, C., The History Press, Stroud, 2014, pp. 46/7, 77</ref> * Summer 1959: US supplementals Capitol International and ONA began a series of seasonal charter flights carrying [[United States|American]] tourists to [[Europe]], which transited Gatwick en route to their final destinations on the [[Continental Europe|Continent]].<ref name=LGW_1stHalfCentury_32/> * September 1959: [[Morton Air Services]] moved to Gatwick following Croydon Airport's closure.<ref>''Gatwick Airport: The first 50 years'', Woodley, C., The History Press, Stroud, 2014, pp. 53/4, 135</ref> * November 1959: [[Air Safaris]] moved to Gatwick from [[London Southend Airport|Southend Airport]].<ref>''Gatwick Airport: The first 50 years'', Woodley, C., The History Press, Stroud, 2014, p. 132</ref> * 1960: [[Berlin Tempelhof Airport#Postwar commercial use|Overseas Aviation]] moved to Gatwick from Southend Airport.<ref>''Gatwick Airport: The first 50 years'', Woodley, C., The History Press, Stroud, 2014, pp. 79/80, 136</ref> * 1 June 1960: Airwork, [[Dan-Air|Dan-Air Services]], [[Falcon Airways]], Orion Airways and Pegasus Airlines moved to Gatwick following [[Blackbushe Airport]]'s closure to commercial air traffic.<ref>''Gatwick Airport: The first 50 years'', Woodley, C., The History Press, Stroud, 2014, pp. 78/9, 132, 134–136</ref> * 14 June 1960: The [[Ministry of Aviation#Parliamentary Secretaries|Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Aviation]], [[Geoffrey Rippon]], opened the new, £300,000 Overseas Aviation hangar at Gatwick. At the time, this was the largest clear-span timber structure in the UK.<ref name=LGW_1stHalfCentury_33>''Airliner Classics (Gatwick: The first 50 years – Post-war commercial operations)'', p. 33, Key Publishing, Stamford, July 2015</ref> * 1 July 1960: Airwork (incorporating Gatwick-based Morton Air Services and Transair, [[Redhill Aerodrome|Redhill]]-based [[Bristow Helicopters]], and Southend-based [[Air Charter Limited|Air Charter]] and [[Channel Air Bridge]]) merged with [[Hunting-Clan Air Transport|Hunting-Clan]] to form [[British United Airways#Antecedents and inception|British United Airways]] (BUA). BUA assumed most of its predecessors' [[fixed-wing aircraft]] services, becoming Britain's biggest independent (and Gatwick's foremost resident) airline during the 1960s.<ref name="GoldenGatwick_9">''Golden Gatwick—50 Years of Aviation'', Chapter 9</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1962/1962%20-%200548.html |work=Flight International |title=World Airline Survey – The UK Carriers ... |page= 546 |date= 12 April 1962 |accessdate=15 August 2010}}</ref> By the end of the decade, it was the airport's leading scheduled operator, with a {{convert|44100|mi|abbr=on}} network of short-, medium- and long-haul routes across Europe, [[Africa]] and [[South America]] using contemporary [[BAC One-Eleven]] and [[Vickers VC10]] jet aircraft.<ref>''Fly me, I'm Freddie!'', pp. 58, 61, 63, 68/9, 82/3, 88, 90, 93–98, 99</ref> Despite the rapid expansion of BUA's (and other airlines') scheduled activities at Gatwick, the airport was dominated by non-scheduled services from the early 1960s until the end of the 1980s. Most were [[inclusive tour]] (IT) passenger services provided by a number of British independent operators and their overseas counterparts. This earned the airport its "bucket and spade" nickname.<ref name="GoldenGatwick_9"/><ref name="Woodley_158">''Gatwick Airport: The first 50 years'', Woodley, C., The History Press, Stroud, 2014, p. 158</ref> * 1960 and 1961: Air Couriers built a new engineering base at Gatwick to provide aircraft maintenance services to third parties, including airlines and corporate aircraft owners.<ref name=LGW_1stHalfCentury_33/> [[Flying Tiger Line]], [[Airlift International|Riddle Airlines]] and [[Saturn Airways]] began operating regular summer [[charter flight|charter]]s carrying passengers and cargo between Gatwick, the US, the [[Republic of Ireland]], [[Continental Europe]] and [[Asia]]. These services compensated for traffic lost as a result of the collapse of several of Gatwick's resident airlines during that period.<ref>''Gatwick Airport: The first 50 years'', Woodley, C., The History Press, Stroud, 2014, pp. 80/1, 134, 136</ref> [[File:Gatwick, 1960.jpg|alt=Small planes parked next to a runway, with terminal building in background|thumb|Gatwick in 1961]] * 1961: BUA announced the construction of a new, £585,000 hangar and office complex at Gatwick.<ref name=LGW_1stHalfCentury_33/> * 1 April 1961: The airport's designation became "London (Gatwick)", emphasising its status as a London airport. (London Airport became "London (Heathrow)".) Following the agreement with the British government to transfer some flights from Heathrow to improve Gatwick's utilisation, BEA and [[Air France]] moved some of their flights to [[Paris – Le Bourget Airport|Paris (Le Bourget)]] to Gatwick. BEA also moved some flights to other European destinations to Gatwick.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/lords/1961/feb/23/london-region-air-traffic |work=[[Hansard|Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)]] |title=London Region Air Traffic |date=23 February 1961 |access-date=4 June 2012}}</ref><ref name="Woodley_81">''Gatwick Airport: The first 50 years'', Woodley, C., The History Press, Stroud, 2014, p. 81</ref> * 29 November 1961: A [[Caledonian Airways]] [[Douglas DC-7#DC-7C|Douglas DC-7C]] that was [[air charter|charter]]ed by [[London Transport Executive]] landed at Gatwick with 95 immigrants from [[Barbados]] on board. This was the airline's first revenue flight.<ref name="Woodley_81"/> * 1962: Two additional piers were added to the terminal.<ref name="LGW_History"/> * 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 Heathrow's use for non-scheduled operations to "occasional" charter flights.<ref>''Aeroplane – World Transport Affairs: Ministry instructs charter operators to use Gatwick'', Vol. 105, No. 2689, p. 16, Temple Press, London, 2 May 1963</ref> * 26 May 1963: BUA launched "Silver Arrow", a twice-daily combined rail-air service between London and Paris, with a Viscount for the cross-[[English Channel|Channel]] Gatwick–Le Touquet air service.<ref name="GoldenGatwick_9"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1963/1963%20-%200482.html |title=New way to Paris|work=Flight International |date=4 April 1963 |page= 460 |accessdate=17 August 2013}}</ref><ref>''Aeroplane – Integration in Action ...: the Silver Arrow rail-air-rail service from London to Paris'', Vol. 113, No. 2883, pp. 4–6, Temple Press, London, 19 January 1967</ref> * 29 June 1963: [[President of the United States|US President]] [[John F. Kennedy]] arrived at Gatwick, where he was met by [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|UK Prime Minister]] [[Harold Macmillan]].<ref>''Crawley & Horley Observer (Nostalgia – Some of the famous faces which appeared at Gatwick Airport''), Horsham, 11 July 2018</ref> [[File:Douglas DC-6B I-DIMB SAM LGW 29.08.64 edited-2.jpg|thumb|right|The main passenger terminal at Gatwick in 1964 taken from one of the two piers looking SE.]] * 1 January 1964: [[British Airways Helicopters|BEA Helicopters]] made Gatwick their administrative and engineering base.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1964/1964%20-%200892.html |title=World Airline Survey|work=Flight International |date=2 April 1964 |page= 501 |accessdate=15 August 2010}}</ref> * 1964: Gatwick's original, relatively short late-1950s paved runway was extended by {{Convert|1200|ft|abbr=on}} to {{Convert|8200|ft|abbr=on}} due to new noise rules governing the operation of jet aircraft at airports near (or surrounded by) densely populated urban areas.<ref name="Gatwick_History"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1964/1964%20-%203035.html |title=International Airports ...|work=Flight International |date=10 December 1964|page=1006 |accessdate=15 August 2010}}</ref> * 1965: By now, each of the three piers was nearly {{convert|1000|ft|abbr=on}} long, and the terminal complex had a floor area of {{convert|100000|sqft|abbr=on}}.<ref name="Gatwick_History"/><ref name="Gatwick_Redevelopment"/> * 9 April 1965: a BUA [[BAC One-Eleven|One-Eleven]] operated the type's first commercial service from Gatwick to [[Genoa Cristoforo Colombo Airport|Genoa]].<ref>''Aeroplane – Cover Story: One-Eleven makes its debut'', Vol. 109, No. 2791, pp. 3, 11, Temple Press, London, 15 April 1965</ref> * 3 June 1965: BEA [[Hawker Siddeley Trident#Introduction|Hawker Siddeley Trident 1C]] G-ARPB became the first aircraft to fly an [[final approach (aeronautics)|approach]] to Gatwick Airport automatically as part of a demonstration flight to journalists that included a total of nine [[Autoland|fully automatic approach]]es to the airport.<ref>''Classic Airliner'' (The Hawker Siddeley Trident: The Trident and Autoland – G-ARPB's Autoland trials), p. 84, Key Publishing, Stamford, 2014</ref> * 4 January 1966: BUA began Gatwick's first scheduled domestic [[jet aircraft|jet]] service to [[Glasgow]], [[Edinburgh]] and Belfast. The new service, known as "InterJet", made BUA the first UK domestic airline using jet aircraft exclusively.<ref name="Express1">''The Gatwick Express'', p. 40</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1967/1967%20-%201935.html |title=p. 533 |work=Flight International |date=28 September 1967 |accessdate=11 July 2012}}</ref> * 1966: [[Ariana Afghan Airlines]], [[Libyan Airlines|Kingdom of Libya Airlines]] and [[TAROM]] began regular scheduled services from Gatwick, and the newly formed [[Laker Airways]] established its base at the airport.<ref name=LGW_1stHalfCentury_34>''Airliner Classics (Gatwick: The first 50 years – Post-war commercial operations)'', p. 34, Key Publishing, Stamford, July 2015</ref> Canadian charter airline [[Wardair]] launched the first of a series of transatlantic charter flights from Gatwick to [[Canada]] with [[Boeing 727]]s.<ref name="Express1"/> * 1 April 1966: The [[Heathrow Airport Holdings#British Airports Authority|British Airports Authority]] (BAA) came into being; it assumed the management of Gatwick, Heathrow and Stansted. BAA's first chairman, Peter Masefield, unfurled the new BAA [[Ensign (flag)|standard]] on Gatwick's central pier and opened the airport's new [[general aviation]] terminal (located north of the passenger terminal), before leaving for Heathrow with a group of officials and journalists aboard a [[Channel Airways]] [[Hawker Siddeley HS 748|Hawker Siddeley 748]].<ref name=LGW_1stHalfCentury_34/> * Summer 1966 and after: Busy summer weekends featured frequent arrivals and departures throughout the night as there were no [[night flying restrictions]] at Gatwick at the time. These were mainly passenger charter flights to [[Mediterranean Sea|Mediterranean]] resorts, although some were cargo charters to the Channel Islands and special, seasonal low-fare scheduled services flown by [[Iberia (airline)|Iberia]], [[Scandinavian Airlines|SAS]] and [[Swissair]]. As many airlines had begun phasing out their obsolete piston airliners, a growing number of these night flights were operated by first and second generation jet aircraft powered by noisy [[turbojet]] or low-[[bypass ratio|bypass]] [[turbofan]] engines.<ref>''Gatwick Airport: The first 50 years'', Woodley, C., The History Press, Stroud, 2014, pp. 90, 92/3</ref> * 1966–67 fiscal year:<ref group=nb>1 April 1966 to 31 March 1967</ref> BAA began constructing a new, five-story office complex on top of the main terminal building.<ref name=LGW_1stHalfCentury_34/> * 1967: Gatwick's last car ferry flight flew, following [[British United Air Ferries|British Air Ferries]]' decision to withdraw the service it inherited from Silver City Airways when it merged with Channel Air Bridge in 1963 to form [[British United Air Ferries]].<ref name="Woodley_45_50"/> * May 1967: [[Green Line Coaches]] launched an hourly inter-airport express coach service between Gatwick and Heathrow.<ref>''Green Line: The history of London's Country Bus Service – Decline sets in'', Chapter 8, p. 106</ref> * 14 and 15 September 1968: Torrential rains associated with thunderstorms in the Gatwick area caused the River Mole to burst its banks. This resulted in the worst recorded flooding in the area for 100 years, which necessitated Gatwick Airport's complete closure for several hours.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.crawleyobserver.co.uk/lifestyle/clearing-up-after-the-floods-of-1968-1-8327709 |publisher=Crawley and Horley Observer |title= Clearing up after the floods of 1968 |date= 12 January 2018 |accessdate=6 August 2018 | first=Karen | last=Dunn}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.waterbriefing.org/home/water-issues/item/2321-forty-years-on-from-the-floods-of-1968?tmpl=component&print=1 |publisher=waterbriefing.org |title= Forty years on from the floods of 1968 |date= 12 September 2008 |accessdate=6 August 2018}}</ref> * 12 November 1968: Pioneering [[Iceland]]ic [[low-cost carrier]] [[Icelandic Airlines#Loftleiðir|Loftleiðir]] inaugurated Gatwick's first transatlantic scheduled passenger flight to [[New York City|New York]]'s [[John F. Kennedy International Airport|John F. Kennedy Airport]] via [[Keflavik International Airport|Reykjavík-Keflavík Airport]].<ref>''Gatwick Airport: The first 50 years'', Woodley, C., The History Press, Stroud, 2014, p. 95</ref> * 25 June 1969: Westward Airways began the first inter-airport air shuttle between Gatwick and Heathrow using [[Britten-Norman Islander]]s. The airline's nine-seater aircraft plied this route six times a day each way. The flying time was 15 minutes (compared with an average surface travelling time of one-and-a-half hours). Fares charged were £4 one-way.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1969/1969%20-%202363.html |title=Airport Shuttle Starts, Air Transport ... Light Commercial & Business |work=Flight International |date=3 July 1969|page=13 |accessdate=11 July 2012}}</ref><ref>''The Gatwick Express'', p. 41</ref><ref name="Woodley_96">''Gatwick Airport: The first 50 years'', Woodley, C., The History Press, Stroud, 2014, p. 96</ref>

==1970–1979== [[File:Gatwick Airport, 1970a geograph-3212288-by-Ben-Brooksbank.jpg|alt=Planes lined up at a terminal|thumb|[[Airport apron]] in 1970]] * 1970: A second {{Convert|875|ft|adj=on}} extension of Gatwick's runway was completed, bringing it to {{Convert|9075|ft|abbr=on}} and allowing non-stop jet flights to the [[East Coast of the United States|US east coast]] with a full [[payload (air and space craft)|payload]] and full [[range (aircraft)|range]] and payload operations by British United Airways and Caledonian Airways [[BAC One-Eleven#The One-Eleven 500, 510ED and 475|BAC One-Eleven 500s]].<ref name="Gatwick_History"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1969/1969%20-%201637.html |title=Gatwick to be Extended, Air Transport ...|work=Flight International |date=13 March 1969 |page= 392 |accessdate=15 August 2010}}</ref> [[British Airtours|BEA Airtours]] made Gatwick their base.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1971/1971%20-%200704.html |title=World Airlines|work=Flight International |date=6 May 1971 |page= 619 |accessdate=15 August 2010}}</ref> * 6 March 1970: A BEA Airtours [[de Havilland Comet#Comet 4|de Havilland Comet 4B]] performed the airline's first revenue flight from Gatwick to [[Palma de Mallorca Airport|Palma de Mallorca]].<ref name=LGW_1stHalfCentury_34/> * May 1970: BAA published a 10-year draft plan for Gatwick. This envisaged expanding the area covered by the airport by 840 [[acre]]s (340 [[hectare]]s) to 2,273 acres (920 hectares), including a second, {{Convert|7513|ft|abbr=on}} long, parallel runway, {{Convert|2998|ft|abbr=on}} to the north of the existing runway to enable processing of 20&nbsp;million passengers per annum at the end of this period. The draft plan also made provisions for another terminal and considered the possibility of a third, short takeoff and landing ([[STOL]]) runway further north of the proposed second runway at a future date.<ref>''Gatwick Airport: The first 50 years'', Woodley, C., The History Press, Stroud, 2014, pp. 99, 101</ref> * 22 August 1970: Westward Airways discontinued its inter-airport air shuttle between Gatwick and Heathrow.<ref name="Woodley_96"/><ref>''Golden Gatwick—50 Years of Aviation'', Chapter 10</ref> * November 1970: Caledonian Airways bought British United Airways, following which the combined airline began trading as [[British Caledonian in the 1970s#Inception|Caledonian/BUA]]. The acquisition let Caledonian become a scheduled airline; in addition to the routes inherited from BUA, it began scheduled services to Europe, [[North Africa|North]] and [[West Africa]], [[North America]] and the [[Middle East|Middle]] and [[Far East]] during the 1970s and 1980s. * March 1971: Green Line extended its Gatwick–Heathrow inter-airport express coach service to [[Luton Airport]].<ref>''Green Line: The history of London's Country Bus Service – London Country'', Chapter 9, p. 113</ref> * September 1971: Caledonian/BUA was renamed [[British Caledonian]] (BCal).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1971/1971%20-%201769.html |title=It's British Caledonian |work=Flight International |date=9 September 1971 |page= 395 |accessdate=20 March 2015}}</ref> * 1 November 1971: BCal began the first scheduled service between London and Paris by a private UK airline since the 1930s, operating between Gatwick and [[Paris – Le Bourget Airport|Le Bourget]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.flightglobal.com/PDFArchive/View/1971/1971%20-%202377.html |title=Three to Paris |work=Flight International |date=11 November 1971 |page= 753 |accessdate=20 March 2015}}</ref> * 9 October 1972: The arrival at Gatwick of a Wardair Boeing 707 on a positioning flight from [[Honolulu]] was thought to be the longest non-stop flight of a Boeing 707 at the time.<ref>''Gatwick Airport: The first 50 years'', Woodley, C., The History Press, Stroud, 2014, p. 105</ref> * November 1972: Laker Airways became the first operator of [[wide-body aircraft]] at Gatwick after the introduction of two [[McDonnell-Douglas DC-10#Original variants|McDonnell-Douglas DC-10-10]] aircraft.<ref>''Fly me, I'm Freddie!'', pp. 170/1, 181, 183/4</ref> Laker's [[McDonnell-Douglas DC-10|DC-10]] fleet expanded during the 1970s and early 1980s; this included [[McDonnell-Douglas DC-10#Longer range variants|longer-range -30s]], introduced in 1980. * 21 November 1972: A Laker Airways DC-10-10 performed the first revenue flight of a DC-10 in Europe carrying 331 charter passengers from Gatwick to Palma de Mallorca. At the time, this was also the highest number of passengers carried on a single aircraft from the airport.<ref>''Gatwick Airport: The first 50 years'', Woodley, C., The History Press, Stroud, 2014, p. 104/5, 135</ref> * 1973: The third extension of Gatwick's runway was completed, bringing it to {{Convert|10165|ft|abbr=on}} and allowing for non-stop [[narrow-body]] operations to the [[West Coast of the United States|US west coast]] and commercially viable, long-range wide-body operations.<ref name="Gatwick_History"/> [[File:British Caledonian BAC 111-509EW Gatwick.jpg|alt=Plane on tarmac, with other planes in the background|thumb|Apron in 1973]] * April 1973: BCal began the first [[transatlantic flight|transatlantic scheduled service]] by a private UK airline to New York and [[Los Angeles]] from Gatwick.<ref name="BCal_LGWNYLA_and_LGWDXBHKG_launch1">''High Risk: The Politics of the Air'', pp. 262/3, 271/2, 378–388, 508</ref><ref name="BCal_LGWNYLA_and_LGWDXBHKG_launch2">{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20050302154321/http://www.competition-commission.org.uk/rep_pub/reports/1987/fulltext/219c04.pdf "British Airways Plc and British Caledonian Group plc; A report on the proposed merger"]}}, Chapter 4, Competition Commission website</ref> * May 1973: KLM augmented its Heathrow–[[Amsterdam Airport Schiphol|Amsterdam]] service with a Gatwick–Amsterdam route, making it the first non-UK airline to split operations between Heathrow and Gatwick for commercial reasons rather than to comply with government directives. Wardair and US supplemental [[World Airways]] became the first airlines to operate [[Boeing 747]]s at Gatwick.<ref name="Express2">''The Gatwick Express'', p. 42</ref><ref>''Gatwick Airport: The first 50 years'', Woodley, C., The History Press, Stroud, 2014, pp. 106–108</ref> * 1974: The [[borough]] of [[Crawley]] was extended northwards to include Gatwick Airport and its surrounding land. Gatwick Airport thus moved from Surrey into West Sussex.<ref name="Gwynne1">{{cite book|last=Gwynne|first=Peter|title=A History of Crawley|publisher=Phillimore & Co|location=Chichester|year=1990|edition=1st|pages=1|chapter=Introduction|isbn=0-85033-718-6}}</ref> * July 1974: BAA published a revised master plan for Gatwick to take account of lower demand for [[air travel]] than anticipated at the time of publication of the draft plan in May 1970, as a consequence of a fall in [[disposable and discretionary income|disposable income]]s caused by the [[1973 oil crisis]]. This resulted in abandoning the proposal for a second runway and in a downward revision of the number of passengers the airport was expected to handle in the early 1980s to 16&nbsp;million.<ref>''Gatwick Airport: The first 50 years'', Woodley, C., The History Press, Stroud, 2014, pp. 108/9</ref> * March and May 1977: BCal introduced its first two [[McDonnell-Douglas DC-10#Longer range variants|DC-10-30s]] (its first wide-body aircraft) at the airport.<ref>''High Risk: The Politics of the Air'', pp. 319, 321</ref> * 26 September 1977: Laker Airways launched [[Laker Airways#Skytrain takes to the air|Skytrain]], Gatwick's first daily long-haul, no-frills, non-stop flights to [[John F. Kennedy International Airport|John F. Kennedy (JFK) Airport]].<ref>''Fly me, I'm Freddie!'', pp. 221, 225</ref> * Late 1970s: By now, government initiatives supporting Gatwick's development resulted in steady growth in passenger traffic. Among these were policies seeking to transfer all scheduled services between London and the [[Iberian Peninsula]] from Heathrow to Gatwick,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1980/1980%20-%203077.html |title=BA moves Spanish services to Gatwick, Air Transport|work=Flight International |date=11 October 1980 |page= 1410 |accessdate=15 August 2010}}</ref> banning whole-plane charters at Heathrow<ref>''The Gatwick Express'', p. 50</ref> and requiring all airlines planning scheduled services to London for the first time to use Gatwick instead of Heathrow. This policy was known as the London [Air] Traffic Distribution Rules. The government also approved a high-frequency helicopter shuttle service linking Gatwick with Heathrow.<ref name="baa21">''British Airports Authority Annual Report and Accounts 1978/9'', British Airports Authority, London, 1979, p. 21</ref> [[File:Braniff International Boeing 747-100 Rees.jpg|thumb|[[Braniff International Airways|Braniff]] [[Boeing 747#747-100|Boeing 747-127]] N601BN. The aircraft was nicknamed "Big Orange" and flew into Gatwick from [[Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport|Dallas–Fort Worth]] between 1978 and 1982.]] * 18 March 1978: The launch of scheduled flights from Gatwick to [[Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport|Dallas–Fort Worth]] by [[Braniff Airways]] marked the first occasion a US certificated route air carrier<ref group=nb>former holder of a [[Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity]] issued by the now defunct US [[Civil Aeronautics Board]] authorising the operation of frequent, regular scheduled passenger and cargo services</ref> flew to Gatwick rather than Heathrow, as a result of access restrictions to Heathrow implemented in the 1977 [[Bermuda II Agreement|Bermuda II]] UK–US [[bilateral air transport agreement]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.clippedb.org/hive/documents/braniff_history.html |title=Braniff History – Braniff History Time Line: 1978 |publisher=clippedb.org (The Association of Former Braniff Flight Attendants) |accessdate=9 August 2015 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130602165143/http://www.clippedb.org/hive/documents/braniff_history.html |archivedate=2 June 2013 }}</ref> * 1 April 1978: The London [Air] Traffic Distribution Rules became effective, retroactive to 1 April 1977. The rules were designed to increase Gatwick's utilisation and improve its efficiency across the operating day, all-year round to help it become profitable.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1977/1977%20-%201088.html |title=Please come to Gatwick, Britain tells carriers, Air Transport|work=Flight International |date=16 April 1977 |page= 1028 |accessdate=15 August 2010}}</ref><ref name="TDR_End">{{cite web|url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1991/1991%20-%200984.html |title=Waiving the rules, News Analysis| work=Flight International |date=17–23 April 1991 |page= 26 |accessdate=15 August 2010}}</ref> [[British Airways]] (BA) and Aer Lingus began daily scheduled flights between Gatwick and [[Dublin]],<ref name="baa21"/><ref name="ShamrockInaugural_to_LGW">{{cite web|url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1978/1978%20-%200464.html |title=Aer Lingus for Gatwick, Air Transport |work=Flight International |date=25 March 1978 |page= 834 |accessdate=14 February 2013}}</ref> the first use of Gatwick as a London terminal for scheduled services between the British and Irish capitals and the first BA scheduled service from Gatwick with aircraft based at the airport.<ref group=nb>using a BAC One-Eleven 500 operating once a day each way from Gatwick to [[Düsseldorf]] and [[Frankfurt]] respectively and six-times-a-week each way from Gatwick to [[Zürich]], in addition to the daily Gatwick–Dublin return flight</ref><ref name="baa21"/> For Aer Lingus, it was the first scheduled service from Gatwick.<ref name="baa21"/><ref name="ShamrockInaugural_to_LGW"/> * 9 June 1978: 20th anniversary of Gatwick's reopening by Queen Elizabeth II. BCal, [[British Airways Helicopters]] and BAA jointly introduced [[Airlink (helicopter)|Airlink]], a helicopter shuttle service operating 10 times daily to Heathrow.<ref>''British Airports Authority Annual Report and Accounts 1978/9'', British Airports Authority, London, 1979, pp. 21, 76</ref><ref name="Link">{{cite web |url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1978/1978%20-%200978.html |title=World News |work=Flight International |date=17 June 1978 |page= 1832 |accessdate=15 August 2010}}</ref> * 31 December 1978: By now, scheduled flights exceeded charter flights for the first time since the early 1960s.<ref name="Woodley_158"/><ref>''The Gatwick Express'', p. 51</ref> * 23 April 1979: The [[Airlink (helicopter)|Gatwick–Heathrow Airlink]] carried its 50,000th passenger.<ref name="Woodley_125">''Gatwick Airport: The first 50 years'', Woodley, C., The History Press, Stroud, 2014, p. 125</ref> * August 1979: BAA signed a legally binding agreement with [[West Sussex County Council]] not to build another runway at Gatwick for 40 years in return for gaining approval to upgrade the taxiway running parallel to the airport's existing runway to an emergency landing strip.<ref name="Woodley_125"/> * Late 1970s and early 1980s: Fully extendible [[jet bridge]]s were added when the piers were rebuilt and extended.<ref name="Gatwick_History"/>

==1980–1989== [[File:BCal Delta Laker at Gatwick.jpg|alt=Larger planes lined up at a terminal|thumb|Apron in 1981 (note the prominence of wide-bodied aircraft)]] * 1 August 1980: BCal launched the UK's first private scheduled air service to [[Hong Kong]] (via [[Dubai]]) from the airport.<ref name="BCal_LGWNYLA_and_LGWDXBHKG_launch1"/><ref name="BCal_LGWNYLA_and_LGWDXBHKG_launch2"/> * 9 November 1980: The departure from Gatwick of a [[Dan-Air]] [[de Havilland Comet|Comet]] on a one-hour special charter flight for aircraft enthusiasts marked the last revenue service of the world's first commercial [[jet airliner]].<ref>''Gatwick Airport: The first 50 years'', Woodley, C., The History Press, Stroud, 2014, p. 126</ref> * 1982: BCal began operating a small fleet of [[Boeing 747#747-200|Boeing 747-200]]s from Gatwick.<ref>''High Risk: The Politics of the Air'', p. 399</ref> BAA and British Airways Helicopters ended their involvement in the Gatwick–Heathrow Airlink, leaving BCal to assume sole responsibility for this service. This included [[British Caledonian in the 1970s#Attaining success|British Caledonian Helicopters]] supplying both the helicopter and engineering backup.<ref>''Gatwick Airport: The first 50 years'', Woodley, C., The History Press, Stroud, 2014, pp. 119/20, 130</ref> * 28 May 1982: [[Pope John Paul II]] arrived at Gatwick on an [[Alitalia]] [[Boeing 727#727-200|Boeing 727-200 Advanced]], beginning the first [[Pope John Paul II's visit to the United Kingdom|papal visit to the United Kingdom]].<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.thepapalvisit.org.uk/2010-Visit/A-Retrospective-of-the-1982-Visit/Gatwick-Airport/Pope-John-Paul-II-s-welcome-address-at-Gatwick-Airport-28-May-1982 |title=Pope John Paul II's welcome address at Gatwick Airport, 28 May 1982 |work=Pope Benedict XVI in the United Kingdom |accessdate=13 July 2012}}</ref><ref>''High Risk: The Politics of the Air'', p. 403</ref> * 2 June 1982: The Pope left Gatwick at the end of his visit aboard a BCal Boeing 707.<ref>''High Risk: The Politics of the Air'', pp. 402–405</ref> * December 1982: The [[Hilton Hotels & Resorts|Gatwick Hilton]] opened as the first hotel in Britain to be part of an airport complex.<ref>''The Gatwick Express'', p. 56</ref> * 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.<ref name="Gatwick_History"/> (This replaced the original North pier dating from 1962, and the people mover connecting the main terminal with the satellite pier was subsequently replaced with a walkway and [[moving walkway|travelators]]). A second terminal was planned, and construction began on the North Terminal on the land earmarked for a second runway in the draft plan of May 1970. This was the largest construction project south of London in the 1980s, costing £200&nbsp;million.<ref>''Above Us The Skies: The Story of BAA'' – 1991 (Michael Donne – BAA plc), p. 15</ref><ref name="runway_moratorium">{{cite web|url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1979/1979%20-%203094.html |title=Gatwick runway deal agreed, Air Transport|work=Flight International |date=25 August 1979 |page= 569 |accessdate=15 August 2010}}</ref><ref name="1979_expansion_plans">{{cite web|url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1979/1979%20-%203288.html |title=BAA reveals Gatwick expansion plans, Air Transport|work=Flight International |date=8 September 1979 |page= 757 |accessdate=15 August 2010}}</ref><ref>''Gatwick Airport: The first 50 years'', Woodley, C., The History Press, Stroud, 2014, p. 101</ref> [[File:British Airtours 747-236B.jpg|alt=Planes on tarmac|thumb|Gatwick in 1984, with the new control tower in background]] * 1984: Gatwick's new air-traffic [[control tower]] opened, the tallest in the UK at the time.<ref name="1979_expansion_plans"/> The [[Gatwick Express]] was launched by [[British Rail]], the world's first non-stop airport-to-city-centre rail service (between the airport and Victoria Station).<ref name="1979_expansion_plans"/><ref>''The Gatwick Express'', pp. 2, 63</ref> * 22 June 1984: [[Virgin Atlantic#Formative years|Virgin Atlantic's first commercial flight]] left Gatwick for [[Newark Liberty International Airport]]. * 1985: Work began on converting the northern parallel taxiway into a second runway for emergency use.<ref name="LGW_History"/> * June 1985: British Airways operated the first commercial [[Concorde]] flight from Gatwick.<ref name="LGW_History"/> * 6 February 1986: The last Airlink helicopter shuttle service from Gatwick to Heathrow flew.<ref name="Holland3">{{cite web|last=Holland|first=Douglas|title=The Air Links between Gatwick and Heathrow|url=http://www.airpixbycaz.co.uk/cazsite/galleries/airlines/balp/air_links_lgw_lhr.pdf|date=16 August 2006|accessdate=28 December 2012|page=6|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150211013052/http://www.airpixbycaz.co.uk/cazsite/galleries/airlines/balp/air_links_lgw_lhr.pdf|archivedate=11 February 2015}}</ref> * Year ending in April 1987: Gatwick overtook New York JFK as the world's second-busiest international airport with 15.86&nbsp;million international passengers.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1987/1987%20-%201573.html |title=News Scan – London Gatwick, Air Transport|work=Flight International |date=29 August 1987 |page= 7 |accessdate=15 August 2010}}</ref> * Late 1987 and early 1988: [[British Caledonian in the 1980s#British Airways wins the day|British Airways took over British Caledonian]]; the takeover began on 21 December 1987 and was completed on 14 April 1988. * 18 March 1988: The North Terminal was opened by Queen Elizabeth II (including an automated [[rapid transit]] system link to the South Terminal).<ref>''Above Us The Skies: The Story of BAA'' – 1991 (Michael Donne – BAA plc), p. 55</ref>

==1990–1999== [[File:PK-GSA Boeing 747-2U3B (cn 22246 452) Garuda Indonesia, London - Gatwick - UK, August 1990. (5500082968).jpg|alt=Two planes—one on the tarmac and the other landing|thumb|A [[Dan-Air]] [[Boeing 727#727-200|Boeing 727-200 Advanced]] and [[Garuda Indonesia]] [[Boeing 747#747-200|Boeing 747-200B]] at Gatwick in 1990]] * End of the 1989–90 fiscal year: By now, scheduled passengers consistently outnumbered non-scheduled passengers at the airport; non-scheduled passengers had accounted for more than half the airport's passengers for most of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s.<ref name="Woodley_158"/><ref>Iyengar, K., ''Heading North'', ''Golden Gatwick'', ''Skyport'', Gatwick edition, Hounslow, 9 May 2008, p. 16</ref> * 1991: A second aircraft pier was added to the North Terminal. Dan-Air replaced [[Air Europe]] as Gatwick's principal short-haul scheduled operator after Air Europe ceased trading early in 1991; both played important roles in the development of the airport's short-haul scheduled route network.<ref name="TDR_End"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1991/1991%20-%200566.html |title=Rival gains from Air Europe failure |work=Flight International |date=13 March 1991 |page= 753 |accessdate=20 March 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1991/1991%20-%200966.html |title=Dan-Air restructures as traffic picks up |work=Flight International |date=17 April 1991 |page= 8 |accessdate=20 March 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1992/1992%20-%200297.html |title=Dan-Air shanghais Cathay manager |work=Flight International |date=12 February 1992 |page= 11 |accessdate=20 March 2015}}</ref><ref>''The spirit of Dan-Air'', Simons, G.M., GMS Enterprises, Peterborough, 1993, pp. 31–35, 45, 51, 75, 79, 81/2, 84, 88, 101, 132, 145, 148, 158, 165/6, 168–171, 181, 185, 188–191, 241–256</ref><ref>''It was nice to fly with friends! The story of Air Europe'', Simons, G.M., GMS Enterprises, Peterborough, 1999, pp. 7, 29, 46, 64, 67, 78, 93/4, 110, 122–124, 128, 132/3, 157, 161, 163</ref> * 1994: The North Terminal international departure lounge and the first phase of the South Terminal international departure lounge opened, at a cost of £30&nbsp;million.<ref name="Gatwick_History"/> * 1998: The main runway was extended for a fourth time, reaching {{Convert|10879|ft|abbr=on}}, to enable longer-range operations with wide-body aircraft.<ref name="Gatwick_History"/> * December 1999: [[EasyJet]] began operating from the airport; its first route served [[Geneva]] with aircraft and crew from [[EasyJet Switzerland]] based at [[Geneva Cointrin International Airport|Geneva Airport]].

==2000–2009== * 2000 to 2001: Gatwick's two terminals were further expanded to add seating, retail space and catering outlets, at a cost of £60&nbsp;million; this included an extension to the North Terminal departure lounge, completed in 2001.<ref name="Gatwick_History"/> *2002: EasyJet began stationing planes at Gatwick. [[File:Bridge to Pier 6, Gatwick North Terminal - geograph.org.uk - 74055.jpg|alt=Long, enclosed bridge|thumb|The bridge to Pier 6 in the North Terminal opened in 2005.]] * 2005: An extension and refurbishment to the South Terminal's baggage reclaim hall (doubling it in size) was completed. * 16 May 2005: Pier 6 opened at a cost of £110&nbsp;million, adding 11 pier-served aircraft stands. The pier is linked to the North Terminal's main building by the largest air passenger bridge in the world, spanning a taxiway and providing passengers with views of the airport and taxiing aircraft.<ref>''Gatwick Airport: The first 50 years'', Woodley, C., The History Press, Stroud, 2014, p. 129</ref> * May 2008: An extension of the South Terminal's departure lounge was completed, and a second-floor security search area opened. This terminal is now primarily used by low-cost airlines; many former users moved to the North Terminal. * 12 October 2009: [[Qatar Airways]]'s daily QR076 Gatwick–[[Doha]] scheduled service became the first commercial flight powered by fuel derived from natural gas. The [[Airbus A340#A340-600HGW|Airbus A340-600HGW]] operating the six-hour flight ran on a 50–50 blend of synthetic [[gas to liquids|gas-to-liquids]] (GTL) and conventional, oil-based [[jet fuel|kerosene]] developed by [[Royal Dutch Shell|Shell]] instead of oil-based [[aviation fuel]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ft.com/content/eaaf77d6-b78e-11de-9812-00144feab49a |title=Airline claims first with gas |page= 13 October 2009) |work=Financial Times |date=13 October 2009 |accessdate=15 August 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.qatarairways.com/global/en/newsroom/archive/press-release-12Oct09-2.html |title=World's First Commercial Passenger Flight Powered By Fuel Made From Natural Gas Lands in Qatar |publisher=Qatar Airways |date=12 October 2009 |accessdate=15 August 2010 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20091016005452/http://www.qatarairways.com/global/en/newsroom/archive/press-release-12Oct09-2.html |archivedate=16 October 2009 }}</ref> * 3 December 2009: Following the agreement to sell the airport to [[Global Infrastructure Partners]], ownership of the airport transferred from BAA Limited to a consortium of [[private equity fund]]s (led by GIP).<ref name=Sale>{{cite news |date=21 October 2009 |title=BAA agrees Gatwick airport sale |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8317662.stm |newspaper=BBC News |accessdate=11 February 2014}}</ref>

==2010–present== * After the sale of the airport to GIP, Gatwick's new owners announced their intention to proceed with a previously agreed £1&nbsp;billion investment programme to upgrade and expand the airport's infrastructure from 2008 to 2014.<ref>{{cite news |last=Ruddick |first=Graham |date=21 October 2009 |title=Global Infrastructure Partners promises to upgrade Gatwick Airport after buying BAA site for £1.46bn |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/transport/6400845/Global-Infrastructure-Partners-promises-to-upgrade-Gatwick-Airport-after-buying-BAA-site-for-1.46bn.html |newspaper=The Telegraph |accessdate=12 February 2014}}</ref> GIP raised the improvement budget to £1.172&nbsp;billion,<ref>{{cite news |last=Hansford |first=Mark |date=6 September 2012 |title=Gatwick Airport: Ready for take-off |url=http://www.nce.co.uk/gatwick-airport-ready-for-take-off/8635328.article |publisher=New Civil Engineer |accessdate=12 February 2014}}</ref> and an additional £1&nbsp;billion from 2014 to 2019 was agreed in February 2013.<ref>{{cite news |last=Gardiner |first=Joey |date=14 February 2013 |title=Gatwick outlines £1bn investment plan |url=http://www.building.co.uk/gatwick-outlines-%C2%A31bn-investment-plan/5050301.article |newspaper=Building |accessdate=12 February 2014}}</ref> GIP began to use its relationships to persuade new and existing airlines to consider launching additional routes from Gatwick, reinstating services suspended as a result of the [[Great Recession]] following the [[2008 financial crisis]] and the [[EU-US Open Skies Agreement]] and expanding existing operations.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ft.com/content/55418ee6-0eaf-11df-bd79-00144feabdc0 |title=Gatwick chief to woo airlines |work=Financial Times |date=1 February 2010 |accessdate=15 August 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.businesstraveller.com/news/air-berlin-switches-nuremberg-and-hanover-fligh |title=Air Berlin switches Nuremberg and Hanover flights to Gatwick |publisher=Business Traveller |date=16 November 2010 |accessdate=12 February 2014}}</ref> * 22 June 2010: Gatwick Airport Limited (GAL) began a new advertising campaign (by Lewis Moberly) for the airport, featuring the [[Advertising slogan|slogan]] "Your London Airport – Gatwick" and dropped "London" from the airport's name.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Gatwick Airport drops 'London' brand ahead of £1bn revamp|quote=London Gatwick Airport is to be known simply as Gatwick Airport |url=http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2010/06/21/343489/gatwick-airport-drops-london-brand-ahead-of-1bn-revamp.html|date=21 June 2010|accessdate=23 June 2011|last=Reals|first=Kerry|publisher=Flightglobal}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/13/arts/13iht-DESIGN13.html?pagewanted=2&_r=1&ref=arts& |title=Company Logos Aim for the Personal Touch |work=New York Times|date=13 June 2011 |accessdate=12 February 2014}}</ref> * 6 July 2012: An [[Emirates (airline)|Emirates]] [[Airbus A380]] operated the type's first scheduled service from Gatwick for the airline's 25th anniversary at the airport, in the UK and Europe and to test the aircraft's suitability for the airport.<ref name="A380Compatibility">{{cite web|url=http://www.businesstraveller.com/news/emirates-a380-lands-at-gatwick |title=Emirates A380 lands at Gatwick |publisher=Business Traveller |date=6 July 2012 |accessdate=12 July 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mediacentre.gatwickairport.com/Images/Emirates-A380-in-front-of-Pier-6-at-Gatwick-Airport-198.aspx |title=Emirates A380 in front of Pier 6 at Gatwick Airport (image) |publisher=Gatwick Airport |date=6 July 2012 |accessdate=7 July 2012}}</ref> * Late February 2013: Two A380-compatible stands were completed, enabling [[jet bridge]] access from the west end of the North Terminal's Pier 6.<ref name="EK_LGW_A380_2">{{cite web|url=http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/emirates-to-fly-one-off-a380-service-to-gatwick-in-march-382761/ |title=Emirates to fly one-off A380 service to Gatwick in March |publisher=Flightglobal |date=26 February 2013 |accessdate=27 February 2013}}</ref><ref name="EK_A380LGW2">{{cite web|url=http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/pictures-emirates-a380-makes-gatwick-appearance-383960/ |title=PICTURES: Emirates A380 makes Gatwick appearance |publisher=flightglobal |date=27 March 2013 |accessdate=27 March 2013}}</ref> [[File:MercerMJ Emirates Airlines Airbus A380 A6-EDO at Gatwick 26-03-13 (8613636963).jpg|thumb|An [[Emirates (airline)|Emirates]] [[Airbus A380]] at Gatwick in 2013]] * 26 March 2013: Emirates operated a second, one-off scheduled A380 flight from Gatwick to test the airport's new three-bridge gate facility at Pier 6's stand 110. This marked the opening of Gatwick's first pier-served, £6.4&nbsp;million A380 stand.<ref name="EK_A380LGW2"/><ref name="LGW_A380Readiness">{{cite web |url=http://www.mediacentre.gatwickairport.com/News/Gatwick-is-A380-ready-7e8.aspx |title=Gatwick is A380 ready |publisher=Gatwick Airport |date=26 March 2013 |accessdate=26 March 2013 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130402001038/http://www.mediacentre.gatwickairport.com/News/Gatwick-is-A380-ready-7e8.aspx |archivedate=2 April 2013 }}</ref> * 31 May 2013: Demolition began of Pier 1, Gatwick's second-oldest pier (the original 1962 South pier of what is now the South Terminal) for its replacement with a £180&nbsp;million, two-storey structure with five pier-served aircraft stands and an automated baggage-storage facility, expected to become operational by summer 2016.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mediacentre.gatwickairport.com/News/Pier-1-demolition-hails-new-era-for-London-Gatwick-7fb.aspx |title=Pier 1 demolition hails new era for London Gatwick |publisher=Gatwick Airport |date=31 May 2013 |accessdate=3 June 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.eque2.co.uk/IndustryNews/construction_industry_news_selected.aspx?dnid=801541870 |title=Gatwick outlines £1bn investment plans |publisher=EQUE2 |date=18 February 2013 |accessdate=3 June 2013}}</ref> * 21 June 2013: [[Thomson Airways]] operated the airport's first [[Boeing 787 Dreamliner]] flight, a charter to [[Menorca Airport|Menorca]] which was also the commercial debut of the type for the airline.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mediacentre.gatwickairport.com/News/London-Gatwick-welcomes-first-hub-busting-Dreamliner-7ff.aspx |title=London Gatwick welcomes first 'hub-busting' Dreamliner (> Media Centre > News) |publisher=Gatwick Airport |date=21 June 2013 |accessdate=22 June 2013 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://archive.today/20130624231159/http://www.mediacentre.gatwickairport.com/News/London-Gatwick-welcomes-first-hub-busting-Dreamliner-7ff.aspx |archivedate=24 June 2013 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ttgdigital.com/news/air-travel/the-thomson-787-dreamliner-bring-on-the-dancing-horses/4688091.article |title=The Thomson 787 Dreamliner: Bring on the dancing horses |publisher=TTG Digital |date=24 June 2013 |accessdate=24 June 2013}}</ref> * 30 March 2014: Emirates became Gatwick's first airline to operate a regular (as opposed to one-off) scheduled service with the A380.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.theemiratesgroup.com/english/news-events/news-releases/news-details.aspx?article=1608142 |title=Emirates is first airline to launch giant A380 double-decker service from Gatwick |publisher=The Emirates Group (> News > News releases) |date=30 March 2014 |accessdate=31 March 2014}}</ref> * 29 August 2014: Gatwick's main runway handled a record 906 movements, equating to an aircraft taking off or landing every 63 seconds. This was believed to be the first time a commercial airport handled more than 900 aircraft movements in one day using only one runway.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/london-gatwick-airport-beats-its-own-world-record-again-403295/ |title=London Gatwick airport beats its own world record again |publisher=Flightglobal |date=3 September 2014 |accessdate=6 September 2014}}</ref> * November 2015: Gatwick handled 40&nbsp;million passengers in a 12-months period for the first time, which was believed to be a global first for a commercial airport with a single-use runway. The 40&nbsp;millionth passenger departed the airport on board a [[Norwegian Air Shuttle]] scheduled flight to [[San Juan, Puerto Rico|San Juan]] on 14 November.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mediacentre.gatwickairport.com/press-releases/2015/15-11-17-gatwick-hits-40-million-passengers-a-year-for-first-time.aspx |title=Gatwick hits 40 million passengers a year for first time (> Media Centre > Press Releases > 2015) |date=17 November 2015 |accessdate=18 November 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://media.norwegian.com/en/#/pressreleases/norwegian-flies-gatwick-s-40-millionth-passenger-1255493 |title=Norwegian flies Gatwick's 40 millionth passenger (> About Norwegian > Press) |date=18 November 2015 |accessdate=18 November 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://mediacentre.gatwickairport.com/press-releases/2015/15-11-19-gatwick-airport-results-for-the-six-months-ending-30-september-2015.aspx |title=Gatwick Airport results for the six months ending 30 September 2015 (> Media Centre > Press Releases > 2015) |date=19 November 2015 |accessdate=19 November 2015}}</ref> * 1 February 2016: [[Caroline Ansell]], the [[member of parliament|MP]] for [[Eastbourne]], officially opened the redeveloped pier 5 of Gatwick's North Terminal. The redevelopment of pier 5 cost £80&nbsp;million and forms part of the airport's £2&nbsp;billion improvement programme under GIP ownership. Its main feature is an additional second level that separates departing and arriving passenger flows vertically to increase capacity by an additional 30 flights or approximately 2,400 passengers per day. This increase in capacity is achieved by accommodating up to seven large and 12 smaller aircraft (or a combination of both) at the pier's redesigned aircraft stands to enhance operational flexibility for airlines and passengers and make passenger journeys smoother.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mediacentre.gatwickairport.com/press-releases/2016/16-02-01-opening-of-gatwicks-new-80-million-pier-5.aspx |title=Opening of new £80 million Pier 5 continues Gatwick's growth and transformation (> Media Centre > Press Releases > 2016) |date=1 February 2016 |accessdate=1 February 2016}}</ref> * 17 May 2016: Gatwick celebrated the 80th anniversary of the first commercial air service from the original Beehive terminal.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-sussex-36306944 |title=Images released to mark Gatwick Airport's 80th year |work=BBC (> News > UK > England > Regions > Sussex) |date=17 May 2016 |accessdate=22 May 2016}}</ref> * 14 June 2016: [[Steve Reed (politician)|Steve Reed]], MP for [[Croydon North (UK Parliament constituency)|Croydon North]], officially opened the new pier 1 of Gatwick's South Terminal. The new pier cost £186&nbsp;million. Its main feature is a new early bag store, the airport's first. This allows up to 2,600 bags to be checked up to 18 hours before departure. The new pier 1 development also features new dual boarding facilities enabling boarding/disembarkation both via airbridge or aircraft steps to reduce queues at the passenger gates and speed up the boarding/disembarkation process. Other features include a new lounge for premium passengers on top of the new pier with panoramic views across the airfield, four new taxiways and nine additional aircraft holding points<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mediacentre.gatwickairport.com/press-releases/2016/16-06-14-new-pier-1-may-traffic.aspx |title=Gatwick marks busiest-ever May by opening new Pier 1 – the airport's biggest single investment since new ownership (> Media Centre > Press Releases > 2016) |date=14 June 2016 |accessdate=18 June 2016}}</ref> * 24 to 25 January 2017: EasyJet consolidated all its Gatwick operations in the North Terminal on 24 January, while British Airways moved to the South Terminal and Virgin Atlantic to the North Terminal on 25 January to improve the airport's operational efficiency and resilience, as the use of different terminals by EasyJet and British Airways reduces pressure on the North Terminal's check-in, security, boarding and [[airport ramp|ramp]] areas at peak times.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://mediacentre.gatwickairport.com/press-releases/2015/2015-01-23-airlines-to-operate.aspx |title=Airlines to operate out of single terminals at London Gatwick (> Media centre > Press releases) |publisher=Gatwick Airport |date=23 January 2015 |accessdate=24 January 2015 |archive-date=28 January 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150128112820/http://mediacentre.gatwickairport.com/press-releases/2015/2015-01-23-airlines-to-operate.aspx |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.businesstraveller.com/news/gatwick-reshuffle-delayed-until-early-2017 |title=Gatwick moves airline reshuffle to early 2017 (> News) |publisher=Business Traveller |date=11 February 2016 |accessdate=20 February 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gatwickairport.com/at-the-airport/flying-in/some-airlines-are-moving/ |title=Some airlines have moved (> At the airport > Flying in > Some airlines are moving) |publisher=Gatwick Airport |accessdate=4 February 2017 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170205100148/http://www.gatwickairport.com/at-the-airport/flying-in/some-airlines-are-moving/ |archivedate=5 February 2017 }}</ref> * June 2017: Gatwick handled more than 45 million passengers for the first time on a rolling 12-month basis. The airport also offered regular scheduled flights to more than 60 long-haul destinations for the first time, which was believed to be a global first for a commercial airport with a single-use runway.<ref>{{cite web |date=10 July 2017 |title=Gatwick surpasses 45 million annual passengers during busiest-ever June |url=http://mediacentre.gatwickairport.com/press-releases/2017/2017-07-10-gatwick-surpasses-45-million-annual-passengers-during-busiest-ever-june.aspx |accessdate=10 July 2017}}</ref> * 15 January 2018: Gatwick-bound scheduled Norwegian Air Shuttle flight DY7014 from New York JFK with 284 passengers on board, which was operated by the airline's [[Boeing 787 Dreamliner#787-9|Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner]] G-CKHL featuring an image of British aviation pioneer [[Amy Johnson]] on its [[vertical stabilizer|tail fin]], became the fastest transatlantic flight from New York to London by a [[subsonic aircraft|subsonic passenger aircraft]]. The new record of 5 hours and 13 minutes was established as a result of [[headwind and tailwind|tailwind]]s reaching a maximum speed of {{convert|202|mph|kn km/h}} over the [[Atlantic Ocean]]. This increased the aircraft's maximum speed to {{convert|776|mph|kn km/h}} and reduced the scheduled flying time by 53 minutes, which enabled the previous record to be bettered by three minutes.<ref>{{cite press release |url=http://media.norwegian.com/uk/#/pressreleases/norwegian-sets-new-record-transatlantic-flight-time-from-new-york-to-london-by-a-subsonic-aircraft-2382387 |title=Norwegian sets new record transatlantic flight time from New York to London with a Dreamliner aircraft |publisher=Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA |date=19 January 2018 |accessdate=20 January 2018}}</ref><ref>''Flight International (Straight & Level: Stuck record)'', p. 40, Reed Business Information, London, 30 January 2018 – 5 February 2018</ref> * 9 June 2018: Gatwick celebrated the 60th anniversary of the present-day airport's official opening.<ref>{{cite web |date=4 June 2018 |title=Flying High: Gatwick Airport celebrates 60th anniversary |url=http://mediacentre.gatwickairport.com/press-releases/2018/flying-high-gatwick-airport-celebrates-60th-anniversary.aspx |accessdate=9 June 2018 |publisher=Gatwick Airport}}</ref> * 13 June 2018: [[Stewart Wingate]], the [[chief executive officer|chief executive]] of Gatwick Airport, announced the new five-year [[capital budgeting|capital investment plan]] for the period until 2023 at the British-Irish Airports EXPO in London. This envisages an additional expenditure of £1.11&nbsp;billion, which takes GIP's total investment since it bought Gatwick from BAA in 2009 to more than £3&nbsp;billion. Of the planned additional expenditure, £266&nbsp;million has been allocated to the 2018–19 fiscal year. Amongst others, the main projects covered by this additional expenditure include ** a westward extension of the North Terminal's pier 6, involving the relocation of the A380 stand to pier 5 and related widening and reconfiguration of a taxiway to enable A380 operators to access the new stand at pier 5 ** a dedicated domestic arrival and baggage reclaim facility in the South Terminal ** connecting the new [[Boeing]] hangar with the airfield. These and other planned improvements are designed to enable the airport to handle 53&nbsp;million passengers by 2023.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://mediacentre.gatwickairport.com/press-releases/2018/12-06-18.aspx |title=London Gatwick takes investment to over £3 billion with new five-year plan (> Media Centre > Press Releases) |publisher=Gatwick Airport |date=13 June 2018 |accessdate=16 June 2018}}</ref> * 3 October 2018: A regularly scheduled service to Gatwick Airport from [[Orlando International Airport]] operated by a [[Virgin Atlantic]] [[Boeing 747-400]] was claimed to be the first commercial flight powered by a new type of sustainable [[aviation biofuel]] made by US-based LanzaTech from recycled [[landfill gas|waste carbon gases]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.travelweekly.co.uk/articles/312980/virgin-atlantic-runs-first-commercial-transatlantic-biofuels-flight|title=Virgin Atlantic runs first commercial transatlantic biofuels flight|last=Davies|first=Phil|website=Travel Weekly|publisher=Travel Weekly Group|date=3 October 2018|accessdate=12 November 2018}}</ref> * 20 December 2018: Gatwick was closed for a record 33 hours due to [[Gatwick Airport drone incident|drone activity]] resulting in the British Army being called to try and identify the drone operator and increase prevention. * 26 August 2020: Gatwick announced that has plans to cut over a quarter of its employees as a result of a planned company restructuring caused by the effects of the [[COVID-19 pandemic]]. The planned cuts will bring the total workforce of the airport to 1,900; before the start of the pandemic it was 3,300, however, additional 785 jobs were cut earlier in 2020.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.ft.com/content/825ad395-2c82-4c81-a2e4-fe97b6eb238a|title= Gatwick to cut a quarter of its staff as part of restructuring |work=Financial Times|last=Georgiadis|first=Philip|date=26 August 2020|accessdate=26 August 2020}}</ref> *27 April 2023: Gatwick Airport rebrands as London Gatwick, with a new logo and refreshed vision. <ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.mediacentre.gatwickairport.com/press-releases/all/23_04_27_new_gatwick_brand.aspx |title=London Gatwick celebrates next phase of growth with launch of new brand and refreshed vision |publisher=mediacentre.gatwickairport.com |access-date=30 April 2023 |archive-date=6 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230506095921/https://www.mediacentre.gatwickairport.com/press-releases/all/23_04_27_new_gatwick_brand.aspx |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==References== {{reflist|group=nb}} {{reflist}}

==External links== *{{official website|http://www.gatwickairport.com/}}

{{Crawley}}

[[Category:Aviation history of the United Kingdom|Gatwick]] [[Category:History of airports|Gatwick]] [[Category:History of transport in London|Gatwick]] [[Category:Gatwick Airport]] [[Category:History of West Sussex|Gatwick]]