Gatwick has sought to address concerns over its future after Virgin Atlantic revealed plans to withdraw after British Airways placed a question mark over its operations at the airport.
Both airlines are cutting thousands of staff with Virgin Atlantic leaving Gatwick to concentrate on operations at Heathrow and Manchester airport.
BA told staff last week that it may not re-open its operation at Gatwick after the coronavirus pandemic passes.
Norwegian Air, the third largest carrier at Gatwick before Covid-19 hit, has grounded its fleet for at least a year after winning shareholder support to allow for a state bailout.
A Gatwick spokesperson described the withdrawal of Virgin Atlantic as “devastating” for staff and many local businesses in the supply chain.
“We are very saddened to hear the news today about Virgin Atlantic’s plans. We have had a long, close and successful relationship with the airline since it made its maiden flight from Gatwick back in 1984,” the spokesperson said.
“Virgin Atlantic will always be welcome at Gatwick and we will continue our efforts to explore ways to re-start the airline’s operations as soon as possible, in the knowledge that they intend to retain their slot portfolio at Gatwick for when demand returns.”
The airport spokesperson added: “The Covid-19 pandemic has had a severe impact on the aviation sector but we remain confident that the industry will recover as air travel demand returns.
“We remain very optimistic about the long-term prospects of Gatwick Airport and our resilience as a business, and having remained open throughout this pandemic we are in a strong position to extend our current operations quickly to meet demand.
“We will continue to work closely with our other airline partners, including easyJet, the IAG Group, Wizz, TUI and Ryanair to strengthen our business for the future.
“We also welcome the recent news that another of our major airline partners – Norwegian Air – has taken important steps forward to secure its future at Gatwick.
“We look forward to all our airlines flying again soon.”
