Gatwick airport: boss confident summer holidays will resume

Gatwick Airport is welcoming back some of its first travellers today as easyJet resumed flying from the hub. Though the Foreign and Commonwealth Office continues to advise against

nonessential international travel, the airport’s boss has shown optimism about the return of more flights in the coming months. The first easyJet flight took off at 7 am this morning from

Gatwick airport to Glasgow, as part of the airline’s return to the skies. In the coming weeks, it will operate mostly domestic routes, along with two UK to France routes. Though it is a slow

start, chief executive of Gatwick Airport Stuart Wingate said he is “confident” that the airport will recover. Speaking to BBC News he said: “We’ve never seen the airport like this for such

a prolonged period of time but what we’ve been doing is preparing the airport for reopening today as the North Terminal welcomes its first flight with easyJet this morning. READ MORE: 

EASYJET SET TO RESUME FLIGHTS NEXT WEEK WITH NEW COVID-19 MEASURES  The airport has already put in place a number of protective measures to ensure passenger safety, including social

distancing and hand sanitiser stations throughout its terminals. Though face masks are not mandatory in the airport, Mr Wingate says customers are still advised to show up with their own

mask. There will also be vending machines where masks are available for purchase. “At the airport we’re advising everybody, if possible, to come to the airport with their own face covering

so that we can keep each other safe,” he said. “We’ve done lots of work to keep the hygiene levels to the highest level. We’ve got all the hand sanitisation, we’ve got deep cleans throughout

the airport. “But one of the things passengers can do to help us and to help themselves is to wear a face-covering when travelling through the airport.” easyJet is set to ramp up its flight

offering, covering 75 percent of its routes from August. Despite the UK’s current 14-day mandatory quarantine period for international arrivals, airport boss Johan Lundgren believes

holidays will be possible before the end of summer. He told Press Association: "We would hope and would be really looking forward to restrictions being either lifted or air bridges put

in place where it made sense to do so, allowing UK customers as well as people in the rest of Europe to be able to go on a holiday." He added that thanks to the airline’s new safety

protocols for passengers and crew, he “would feel 100 percent safe” travelling. Passengers and crew will be required to wear face masks when travelling with the airline. The easyJet website

explains: “Masks should be worn by all passengers arriving at the airport. “There may be dispensing machines for masks available at airports as well as hand sanitiser dispensing machines,

but we strongly encourage everyone to arrive with a mask. “Passengers will be required to provide their own masks. “We will also stock additional masks onboard as a precautionary measure

should a passenger find themselves without a fit for use mask, for example, if it breaks during the flight.”