Mar 30 - Record Summer Forecast For Gibraltar International Airport
Gibraltar International Airport is expected to process a record number of passengers this summer. New routes, and increased frequency of flights on existing routes, will be introduced.
− 40.8% growth in seats from summer 2015; 35.1% more flights weekly
− New early morning British Airways departures from London Heathrow
− easyJet to launch twice weekly service to Manchester and extra London Gatwick flights
− Monarch airlines to launch London Gatwick service 4 times a week and extra Birmingham flight
− Thursday evening Royal Air Maroc services
These include:
British Airways
New early morning departures from London Heathrow will operate on Mondays and Fridays as from 28th March, and on Tuesdays and Thursdays as from 3rd May. These four new services increase the total of BA flights to London Heathrow to 13 per week.
easyJet
On 3rd July easyJet will launch a new twice weekly service to Manchester on 3rd July, flying on Wednesdays and Sundays.
From 19th July easyJet will provide an additional two services to London Gatwick on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, offering a total of 13 services per week in the peak summer months. Services to Bristol, which started in April 2015, will operate three times a week on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays; but a larger A320 aircraft will operate on Sundays, offering an additional 48 seats per week.
Monarch Airlines
Monarch Airlines will operate an additional weekly service from Birmingham. Furthermore, the regular schedule will change; Birmingham flights will no longer operate on Tuesdays and Thursdays, but on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays instead. Sunday flights will continue as normal.
On 1st May Monarch Airlines will offer a London Gatwick service. This will operate four times weekly, on Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays.
Monarch Airlines will thus service Gibraltar from four airports: London Gatwick, London Luton, Manchester and Birmingham.
Royal Air Maroc
Royal Air Maroc services will continue to operate on Thursdays and Sundays. Flights out of Gibraltar on Thursdays will, however, depart in the late evening.
Overall, Gibraltar International Airport will manage an additional 13 flights per week in the peak summer months, to bring the total of weekly services to 50, up from 37 in summer 2015. Passenger numbers are expected to continue to rise.
The number of seats on offer will grow by 40.8% per week from summer 2015. The number of weekly flights will increase by 35.1% compared to last summer.
In July, August and September Gibraltar International Airport will offer:
- 17 flights weekly from London Gatwick (up from 11)
- 13 flights weekly from London Heathrow (up from 9)
- 6 flights weekly from Manchester (up from 4)
- 4 flights weekly from Birmingham (up from 3)
- 5 flights weekly from London Luton
- 3 flights weekly from Bristol (larger aircraft to carry 48 extra passengers)
- 2 flights weekly to Casablanca and Tangier (late evening Thursday flight)
Minister for Tourism, Samantha Sacramento, said: "I am delighted that Gibraltar will enjoy such a busy summer, bringing even more visitors to the Rock by air. It is very encouraging to see our partner airlines placing their confidence in Gibraltar and increasing capacity substantially. Not only to core destinations, but also to regional departure points.
"The teams at the Gibraltar Tourist Board and Gibraltar International Airport continue to work hard to ensure that further growth continues and that passengers receive high standards of care. Her Majesty’s Government of Gibraltar continues to develop its policy of sustained growth."
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