Passengers and businesses across London and the South East will benefit from 18 new flights per week between London Gatwick and Asia this summer, with major carriers Singapore Airlines, Air China, China Southern and Azerbaijan Airlines recently announcing new routes.
From June 1st, flag-carrier Air China will begin operating daily flights from London Gatwick to Beijing Capital Airport on A330-300 aircraft, before China Southern launches its three-per-week service to Guangzhou on June 20th, on Boeing 787-8 aircraft.
Renowned carrier Singapore Airlines – recently crowned the World’s Best Airline at the 2023 Skytrax awards – will begin flying five times per week to Singapore Changi Airport from June 22nd.
By this time, passengers will have already taken advantage of three flights per week to Baku, with Azerbaijan Airlines having launched its new service from London Gatwick on March 31st.
The four new routes mean from this summer, Gatwick will connect passengers with 81 flights per week to Asia, with other existing services including Dubai (Emirates); Zhengzhou (China Southern); Shanghai (China Eastern and Air China); Doha (Qatar Airways); and Goa, Kochi, Ahmedabad and Amritsar (Air India).
The additional routes will support not only passenger journeys but also regional and national trade opportunities. In 2023, the UK exported £37.5bn of goods and services to China – an 11.9% increase on 2022 – and £14.8bn to Singapore, a 10.7% increase on the previous year.
The flights will also provide an economic boost to the tourism industry across London and the South East, with Chinese visitors spending an average of £1,937 per UK visit, and £1.71 billion in total in 2019, according to Visit Britain.
Stephanie Wear, VP Aviation Development, London Gatwick said: “These new services are fantastic news for both passengers and
businesses across London and the South East, providing greater opportunities for tourism and trade.
“The new routes will provide huge connectivity potential, not only to the fantastic destinations of Singapore, Baku and across China, but more widely across Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand. With significant increases in trade between the UK and Singapore, China and Azerbaijan in recent years, the services also provide exciting opportunities for local and regional businesses.”
National Apprenticeship Week
In February, London Gatwick celebrated National Apprenticeship Week. The airport has a proud history of supporting apprenticeships, with its prestigious engineering programme now entering its 47th year.
During the week, the airport welcomed more than 110 local students and jobseekers to its brand-new STEM Centre for a careers fair. Alongside London Gatwick, ten other airport-based companies were on hand to provide insightful advice on STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) careers and job opportunities in the dynamic centre, including Boeing, Border Force, British Airways, the Civil Aviation Authority, easyJet, and SSP Group PLC, among others.
STEM subjects are critical skills for the aviation industry. Whether it is designing cutting-edge aircraft or ensuring smooth airport operations, STEM knowledge and skills are fundamental to the industry.
London Gatwick was also delighted to host the regional final of Sussex’s First LEGO® League at the STEM Centre.
Eight teams from seven local schools took part in a thrilling and tense day of competition, following months of hard work from the participants. It even included a LEGO® costume-building contest, judged by London Gatwick’s engineering apprentices.
Many congratulations to the winning team ‘the STEMinists’ from Uckfield College, who were presented their trophy by London Gatwick’s Head of Engineering Steve Kelso. They have won a behind-the-scenes tour of the airport as well as their ticket to the national finals.
