London Gatwick Airport served 2.7 million passengers in March 2014, an increase of 5.1%, or 131,500, compared with the same period in 2013.
The growth was driven by traffic to European routes, with about 1.8 million passengers flying to these destinations, representing a year-on-year increase of 6.1%.
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This was primarily because of flights to key business routes, with destinations as diverse as Moscow, Istanbul, Stockholm and Copenhagen. There was also significant growth on flights to Spain, Portugal and other popular leisure destinations.
The number of passengers flying to North Atlantic destinations decreased by 21.7%, largely because US Airways stopped flying from Gatwick in 2013.
Other long-haul flights increased by 13.1%, while several domestic routes also went up.
Overall domestic traffic decreased by 1%, as some routes,most notably British Airways to Manchester, did not fly in March.
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By GlobalDataLondon Gatwick chief executive Stewart Wingate said: "This has been a successful and exciting year for Gatwick that has seen steady growth, the completion of spending over £1bn on improving the passenger experience and offering new routes that satisfy the demands of business and leisure travellers.
"These successes only add to the obvious case for expansion at Gatwick. A new runway could be delivered at Gatwick more cost effectively than at Heathrow, with significantly less environmental impact. It would also provide the connections and economic benefits the UK needs much more quickly."
Load factors, which indicate how full the average flight was, stood at 83.1%, in line with the previous year.
Image: The passenger traffic at Gatwick Airport was driven by the traffic to European routes, which registered a year-over-year increase of 8.2%. Photo: courtesy of Gatwick Airport Limited.
