Gatwick saw profits rise by almost 9% last year to £343 million as a record of 57 airlines used the single runway airport.
The year-on-year profits boost came as passenger numbers rose by 5.7% to 43.2 million.
Revenue was up 11.3% to £1.1 billion, driven by growth in the airline network and passenger numbers.
Gatwick is now “engaging fully” in an extended process towards a final decision on bringing an emergency runway into regular use after transport secretary Heidi Alexander last month said she was “minded to approve” the plans.
If given the green light, Gatwick says the privately financed £2.2 billion project will deliver 14,000 new jobs and £1 billion a year in economic benefits.
Gatwick served 53 long-haul routes in 2024 including new routes to Singapore, Beijing and Guangzhou in China, Baku in Azerbaijan, Ashgabat in Turkmenistan, and Tashkent in Uzbekistan.
In total the airport served 19 destinations across Asia – including China, India, and the Middle East – 13 in North and South America, 16 in Central America and the Caribbean and five across Africa. Twenty new shops also opened in 2024.
The airport noted that it hit 99% of its “service standard metrics” across the year. This included more than 95% of passengers passing through security in five minutes or less.
Chief executive Stewart Wingate said: “Thanks to the dedication of teams across the airport and investment in new facilities and services, our passengers received outstanding service throughout the year. We also offered a record-breaking choice of airlines and destinations, and this has driven our strong financial performance in 2024.
“Today’s results come off the back of the announcement that the government is minded to approve our privately financed northern runway plans.
“We stand ready to deliver these plans and will continue to engage fully in the extended process towards a final decision and the realisation of 14,000 new jobs and a £1 billion injection into the economy each year.”