Sir David Higgins appointed Chairman of Gatwick Airport
Sir David Higgins will become Chairman of Gatwick Airport from 1 January 2017 replacing Sir Roy McNulty, who will remain on the Board as Deputy Chairman.
Sir David is Chairman of HS2 and a Board Member of the Commonwealth Bank of Australia. He was Chief Executive of the Olympic Delivery Authority from 2005 - 2011 and Chief Executive of Network Rail from 2011 - 2014.
Sir Roy McNulty said: “I am delighted Sir David has accepted the appointment as the new Chairman of Gatwick. We worked closely together for over five years at the Olympic Delivery Authority. He combines a first class intellect with the ability to give clear strategic direction and make things happen. He is exactly the right person to lead Gatwick through the next chapter in its development.
“Gatwick has made significant progress under new ownership over the last seven years since the break-up of BAA. We have shown beyond doubt that competition works. We have invested over £1.5 billion in new facilities and passenger numbers have grown year on year – from 31.3 million in 2010 to over 42 million in 2016. This has meant more choice, lower fares and improved service for passengers. We have also taken significant steps to ensure we listen more to our local communities and do everything we can for the local and national economy. The Arrivals Review and establishment of the Gatwick Growth Board are both evidence of this approach.
“Gatwick operates the world’s busiest single runway. We now fly to over 50 long haul destinations and I am proud that Gatwick can now rightly claim to have entered the global airport premier league.”
Sir David Higgins said: “The progress Gatwick has made over recent years under Sir Roy McNulty’s Chairmanship has been remarkable. It is now firmly established as the UK’s second airport and is a vital part of the London Airports System. Whilst the case for Gatwick expansion in the future remains very strong, the challenge for Gatwick now is to continue to invest so it can maximise the use of its existing facilities and so can do even more for Britain in the coming years.
“I look forward to working closely with Stewart Wingate and the Senior Executive Team. Their impressive track record to date provides a strong foundation for the future. Uniquely, Gatwick caters for all airline types and I am keen to meet as many of the airlines as possible early in the New Year to hear how best we can continue to work together for the benefit of passengers.
“I also recognise the important role that Gatwick plays in the local community. It provides jobs and opportunities for thousands but also, like all airports, it does adversely impact some of its local communities with aircraft noise. This is one of the biggest issues facing aviation around the world and I am keen that the airport builds on the good work it has done over recent years in mitigating these impacts.”
In the 12 months to this November, the airport served 2.7 million more passengers than it did in the 12 months running up to November 2015.
Gatwick has also announce further new connections to Asia responding to the demand for the airport’s existing connections to Hong Kong. Cathay Pacific has announced that its current four-times-weekly service from Gatwick will become daily from June 2017.
Meanwhile, tomorrow Thomas Cook’s new service to Cape Town commences adding to British Airways’ service making six flights weekly to the city from Gatwick.
In November, 2.8 million passengers travelled through the airport, +7.3% on the same month last year, while long-haul growth soared +20%. Contributing to this long-haul growth was Thomson’s new connection to Sri Lanka which started last month.
In line with Gatwick’s long-haul growth, cargo volumes increased +12% in November.
Gatwick Chief Executive Officer, Stewart Wingate said: “Almost three million more passengers are travelling through the airport this year versus the same time last year, with 42.7 million passengers passing through the airport annually – this figure that puts us 14 years ahead of industry predictions.
“Passengers are responding to our growing line-up of long-haul connections with routes to China, Peru, Canada, Costa Rica, Nigeria, as well as the US added this last year.”
“The very latest of these new long-haul connections Thomas Cook’s new route to Cape Town starts tomorrow – further cementing Gatwick’s position at the UK airport that serves more destinations than any other.”