Vueling expands operations at Gatwick Airport

London Gatwick announced on January 20 that Spanish airline Vueling will expand their operations at the airport, with the addition of five new routes. 

The airline’s expansion will include two aircraft based in Gatwick which will fly the following routes: Two daily services to Malaga, four flights a week to Menorca, four flights a week to La Coruña, three flights a week to Sevilla and three flights a week to Granada. 

As well as these new additions, the expansion includes increased flight frequencies to Barcelona, Rome, Bilbao, Valencia and many other destinations.

At one point during the pandemic, the aviation industry suffered in the second year of the Covid-19 pandemic; with air travel in the UK having dropped by 71%. 

In November 2021, chief executive of British Airways Luis Gallego spoke at an Airlines UK conference in Westminster, stating that “transatlantic bookings have reached almost 100 per cent of 2019 levels”. He predicted that the aviation industry would return to pre-pandemic levels of flying by the year 2023. 

Following the announcement Vueling’s expansion, other well-known airlines like British Airways, Wizz Air, Emirates, TUI, Turkish and Westjet are also jumping on the trend and increasing their schedules to pre-covid levels; easyJet has also increased the number of slots they will fly from the airport for the summer. 

Commenting on Vueling’s expansion, Gatwick’s Vice President of Aviation Development Stephanie Wear said: “Their commitment to Gatwick is really positive news for both the airport, our partners and the local economy, as we continue to grow back following the impacts of COVID. The news also shows how attractive airport slots are at Gatwick.

“The additional services Vueling will now be able to offer to Spain and Italy – including new routes to Sevilla, Granada and Menorca - is excellent news for passengers across London and the South East, providing more choice and competition to popular destinations.”