Gatwick is offering £100 shopping vouchers as an apology to passengers caught up in travel chaos at the airport on Christmas Eve due to a power failure at the North Terminal.
The airport blamed the “extraordinarily adverse weather” which resulted in flooding, causing “significant damage” to electrical substations and switch rooms.
This led to what it described as a partial loss of power to the North Terminal on December 24 – one of the busiest travel days of the year.
More than 60 departures and 59 arrivals were affected.
“Since then all efforts have been focused on restoring the North Terminal to its full operation.
“A full schedule of flights operated on Christmas Day and Boxing Day and every day since,” Gatwick said.
“A number of short-term measures have been put in place to reduce the risk of such incidents happening again.”
Gatwick announced a full review of the incident headed by former Eurocontrol director general David McMillan, a non-executive director of the airport.
His report and recommendations will be published next month, the airport pledged.
“Gatwick worked with our airport partners and called in extra staff throughout the day to help support passengers and to assist in managing an extremely difficult and evolving situation ensuring that 414 of the 535 scheduled flights departed and arrived safely,” the airport said.
Chief executive Stuart Wingate offered the £100 of high street vouchers to each passenger whose flight was cancelled on Christmas Eve as a “gesture of goodwill in recognition of the exceptionally difficult circumstances”.
He said: “We appreciate that lots of our passengers were travelling to be with their families over the festive period and we are sorry that flights were cancelled and passengers left disappointed, particularly at this time of the year.”
EasyJet was forced to cancel 83 flights to and from Gatwick on Christmas Eve as a result of the power failure. “We apologise to all passengers affected and understand how frustrating and disappointing this was particularly at Christmas,” the airline said.