New routes from Thomson Airways are set to drive up international passenger traffic at London Gatwick (LGW), the UK’s second busiest airport, next year.

 

Thomson Airways, the airline for tour operator brands Thomson and First Choice, last month started the UK’s first direct flight to Phuket in Thailand from the UK and, next summer, it will also be introducing routes to Mauritius, off the east coast of Africa and Puerto Vallarta on the west coast of Mexico, all operating on the Boeing 787 Dreamliners (pictured). Thomson has taken delivery of four Dreamliners this year.

 

The extra routes form part of a new long-term strategic commercial partnership with LGW that will enable the airline – the UK’s third largest – to build on its presence at the airport. It is currently the third biggest carrier there serving more than 60 destinations.

 

Chris Browne, Managing Director of Thomson Airways [part of TUI Travel], says: “This new agreement gives us more certainty than ever at the airport to make long-term growth plans. We will continue to modernise our aircraft fleet to enhance the holiday experience for our customers and are particularly looking forward to developing our long-haul offer.”

 

Last year, Gatwick carried 34.24m passengers, up +1.7% compared with 70.04m for London Heathrow, up +0.9%.