Record numbers of holiday makers are flying out of Gatwick for breaks abroad over the bank holiday weekend following weeks of gloomy weather.
An estimated 631,000 passengers are forecast to use London’s second airport between Friday and Monday, up 0.9 per cent on last year.
About a third of the 304,000 expected departures are for four-day “end of summer” escapes before the return to school.
Many of the fastest-growing routes are destinations in America and the Caribbean with Kingston, Jamaica, showing a 140 per cent increase. Trips to Oakland, near San Francisco, have also more than doubled, and flights to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic are up 115 per cent. Lima in Peru and New York also saw big increases.
The fastest growing short-haul destinations for the bank holiday are dominated by the cheaper emerging destinations of south-eastern Europe. Top is Ljubljana in Slovenia, followed by Pristina in Kosovo and the Bulgarian Black Sea resort of Varna,
Gatwick Airport’s head of airline relations, Stephen King, said: “As more destinations are added to our growing long-haul route network, it’s clear that passengers are making the most of it with thousands heading across the pond.
"Later this year we’re set to give our passengers even more choice with the launch of new routes to Denver, Seattle, Austin and Chicago.
“Our August bank holiday figures demonstrate that, while we continue to provide new services for our growing number of passengers, we are also keen to expand.
"We stand ready to build our financeable and deliverable second runway scheme instead of, or in addition to, Heathrow should the Government give us the green light.”
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