During March and April of this year, a £5 charge for vehicles dropping off passengers at both of Gatwick’s North and South Terminals was introduced. Are operators really this strapped for cash? Tara Craig examines how some gateways are recouping the dramatic losses of 2020
London/Gatwick’s vehicle charge announcement came hot on the heels of the news that its passenger numbers had fallen by 78.2% in 2020. VINCI Airports, which owns 50.01% of the facility and is one of the largest airport operators in the world, saw overall passenger traffic drop by 70% in the same period, it reported. Drastic anti-COVID-19 travel restrictions are largely to blame, and VINCI noted that within its network the airports that fared best were those outside Europe and Asia, where measures were the least severe.