Gatwick South terminal to reopen on Sunday

Gatwick Airport will finally reopen its South Terminal this Sunday, after nearly two years of it being mothballed.

At present, passengers arriving by train walk through the “ghost” terminal to access the shuttle to reach the in-use North Terminal.

Due to a smaller number of flights operating out of Gatwick during the pandemic, all operations were moved over to its North Terminal.

“Following the UK Government’s decision to return discipline to the airport slot regulations and a series of significantly increased airline flying programmes by its airlines, Gatwick will reopen its South Terminal later this month – on Sunday 27 March - and will continue its recruitment campaign to help meet the expected strong demand for air travel this summer and beyond,” read a statement released to press on 9 March.

“Gatwick and its partners – airlines, ground handlers, retailers, cafes and bars etc – have been recruiting for more than 2,000 new posts over recent months, providing a much needed boost for local communities across the region.”

This Sunday, 27 March, sees the beginning of the summer schedule for many airlines based out of the airport, including British Airways’ new EuroFlyer subsidiary.

The airline announced its intention to create a short-haul standalone business at Gatwick in August, similar to its operation from London City Airport.

New routes launching on 29 March will see the first BA short-haul flights out of Gatwick in nearly two years.

Destinations include Faro, Tenerife, Ibiza, Dalaman and Santorini.

BA’s First luxury lounge will also reopen at the South Terminal from Sunday.

EasyJet and Vueling will operate summer flights from Gatwick, alongside new routes from Wizz Air.

Virgin Atlantic this month confirmed that it will not return to Gatwick for summer 2022, with Shai Weiss saying: “Traditionally, we have flown leisure routes out of Gatwick. We have slots at Gatwick and we would like to think there is an opportunity for Gatwick. But it’s not this year.”

The airline removed its operations from Gatwick, where it had kept an HQ for 35 years, in May 2020 amid a raft of cost-cutting measures.