Air traffic movements at Gatwick were at 86% of pre-pandemic levels for first half of 2023, the airport has reported.
Announcing its H1 results, Gatwick said it saw “strong demand for travel” despite a “challenging operational environment”.
A total of 18.5 million passengers travelled through the airport in the first six months of 2023, up 41% compared to the same period in 2022.
However, H1 traffic was still heavily affected by Covid-19 travel restrictions last year, particularly in Q1 2022.
Its revenue was £423.3 million, up 45% compared to 2022, with net profit for the period at £79.1 million, up 56%.
Although air traffic movements remain below pre-pandemic levels, there were more air traffic control restrictions than normal across large parts of Europe, which affected punctuality.
Gatwick said it is working with airlines and ground handlers to ensure aircraft are ready to go for the first wave of departures early in the morning and throughout the rest of the day.
“The airport also took proactive action to prevent ground handling industrial action this summer, ensuring flights could continue as normal,” it added.
A further 200 security officers were recruited ahead of the busy summer period, which helped the airport get 98% of passengers through security in less than five minutes. The airport also hit 99.6% of all measured service level requirements during the period.
Stewart Wingate, chief executive, said: “We worked closely with our partners to make sure the airport was well resourced ahead of the summer.
“This and the hard work of our frontline colleagues helped us provide passengers with a good level of service, despite a challenging operational environment across much of Europe.
“We will continue working closely with our airport partners to improve punctuality, supported by projects in our new Capital Investment Programme to build airport resilience and long-term sustainable growth.
“I’m pleased that our planning application to bring our existing Northern Runway into routine use has moved forward to the examination stage.
“It’s also promising to see the airport’s recovery continue, as we once again provide passengers with more choice. Forty-nine airlines now fly from the airport to over 200 destinations, including 50 long-haul routes.”
Recent additions to Gatwick’s long-haul network include Norse services to San Francisco, Washington DC, Boston and Los Angeles; Air India services to Goa, Ahmedabad, Amritsar and Kochi (Cochin); Air China flights to Beijing; and Saudia services to Jeddah.