Wizz confident on strong summer loads from ramped-up Gatwick

Wizz Air UK managing director Marion Geoffroy is confident of strong load factors this summer, flagging full flights on the first day of the summer season from its expanded London Gatwick operation. The budget carrier opened a base at the south London airport in the autumn of 2020, initially with a single Airbus A320neo. However, after this winter acquiring 15 daily slot pairs at Gatwick from Norwegian Air Shuttle, the airline is now stepping up its operations at the London airport. “We had one [aircraft] during the winter, and now we are operating three aircraft, which are operating from the South Terminal, and will be operating five aircraft later this summer season,” Geoffroy tells FlightGlobal. Yesterday was a significant milestone for Gatwick airport, after it reopened the South Terminal – which has been dormant for much of the pandemic after the airport concentrated operations in the North Terminal from June 2020. Gatwick airport says daily flights from the South Terminal nearly doubled to 570 on 27 March. The airport says 27 airlines will switch to the South Terminal over the week, including Aer Lingus, British Airways, Norwegian, Ryanair and Vueling, alongside Wizz. EasyJet, the airport’s biggest operator, will fly from both terminals. For Wizz Air, it brings a much sought opportunity to expand its operations at Gatwick. The airline is launching 18 new routes from Gatwick this summer, predominantly to leisure destinations – 10 of which launch by the end of this month. ”With a five-aircraft operation you have very good opportunities in terms of routes you choose, but also in terms of product – meaning you can offer a daily product where a destination justifies it,” Geoffroy says.<br/>