Gatwick’s long-haul traffic is set to rise by 21.7% this October half-term compared with the same period in 2016.
One in five school half-term passengers will travel on long-haul routes with destinations in the Caribbean and Florida seeing the biggest boosts in popularity.
St Lucia and Fort Lauderdale are the two largest-growing long-haul routes, up 197% and 181% year-on-year.
Kingston, Jamaica (up 68%) and Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic (up 48%) also feature in Gatwick’s top ten biggest-growing long-haul routes for the half-term break.
US and Canadian city breaks are also on the rise, with Oakland, San Francisco up 163% and Vancouver up 101% on 2016.
New York and Los Angeles also continue to be popular half-term choices, up 56% and 54% respectively.
The airport’s long-haul growth during half-term comes just weeks after Norwegian started the world’s longest low-cost route to Singapore from the airport, bringing Gatwick’s long-haul network to more than 60 routes.
Mykonos and Zakynthos both feature in Gatwick’s top ten biggest-growing short-haul routes for half-term week – with increases of 131% and 121% respectively – alongside Kos (up 115%) and Kefallinia (up 78%).
Gatwick’s head of airline relations Stephen King said: “The significant rise in long-haul traffic at Gatwick means we are set to experience the busiest October half-term in our history.
“With the growing number of low-cost long-haul destinations that we serve, our passengers are finding it easier than ever to travel further afield – with their budgets also going further.
“Britain’s global connectivity has never been more important and that’s why Gatwick, already the world’s busiest single-runway airport, continues to add vital new connections to the world.
“In the next few months alone, new long-haul connections to Austin, Chicago, Taipei and Buenos Aires will begin as we look forward to providing passengers with even greater choice in long-haul destinations.”
Top ten biggest-growing long-haul routes during October half-term:
1. St. Lucia +197%
2. Fort Lauderdale +181%
3. Oakland, San Francisco +163%
4. Montreal +114%
5. Vancouver +101%
6. Kingston +68%
7. Cape Verde +67%
8. New York +56%
9. Los Angeles +54%
10. Punta Cana +48%
Top ten biggest-growing short-haul routes during October half-term:
1. Mykonos +131%
2. Zakynthos +121%
3. Tivat +118%
4. Kos +115%
5. Hurghada +110%
6. Santiago de Compostela +99%
7. Kefallinia +78%
8. Casablanca +69%
9. Olbia +66%
10. Pula +61%