Air Arabia launches at London Gatwick with twice-daily Sharjah flights
- Twice-daily flights now connect London Gatwick and Sharjah
- New airline and destination further expand London Gatwick's global network
- Frequent schedule offers passengers greater flexibility when travelling to the UAE and beyond
London Gatwick continues its strong network growth with the launch of Air Arabia’s new twice-daily service to Sharjah (SHJ) in the United Arab Emirates.
The first flight, which departed on Saturday 4 July, marked the arrival of a new airline and destination at London Gatwick, adding to the more than 60 airlines and 230 destinations the airport is offering passengers this summer.
Operating twice daily from the airport's North Terminal, the route provides excellent flexibility for both business and leisure travellers. With morning and evening departures available, passengers can choose flight times that best suit their travel plans while benefiting from direct access to the UAE.
Sharjah offers visitors a rich mix of culture, heritage and modern attractions, and located less than 30km from Dubai, it provides convenient access to one of the Middle East's most popular destinations.
Air Arabia's Sharjah service is one of 11 new routes launched from London Gatwick this year, reflecting continued demand from carriers to operate from the airport and supporting the growth of both its short and long-haul networks.
Jonny Macneal, Head of Aviation Development, London Gatwick said: "Welcoming Air Arabia to London Gatwick is another important milestone in the growth of our airline portfolio and route network.
"The twice-daily schedule offers excellent flexibility for passengers and strengthens our connectivity to the Middle East, while expanding the choice of destinations available from London Gatwick."
Adel Al Ali, Group Chief Executive Officer, Air Arabia said: “The introduction of our new service to London Gatwick marks a significant addition to Air Arabia's growing international network and reinforces our dedication to offering customers greater travel choice, convenience and value. This new connection further strengthens connectivity between both nations supporting growing demand for air travel while fostering tourism, business and cultural exchange.”
With around 43m annual passengers, London Gatwick is the UK’s second largest and one of Europe’s top airports. It is a vital piece of national infrastructure that drives both the national and regional economies by generating £5.5bn GVA and supporting over 76,000 jobs (2023). More than 60 airlines fly from the airport to over 160 short-haul and more than 50 long-haul destinations. With a declared maximum capacity of 57 movements an hour, London Gatwick is the most efficient single runway airport in the world.
The airport is located 28 miles south of the UK capital and is extremely well-connected, with more than a quarter of England’s population (15m people) – including all of London – less than one hour away by road or rail. A six-year, £2bn sustainable growth programme includes an ambitious plan to be a net zero airport by 2030 and to increase capacity by bringing the airport’s existing Northern Runway into routine use, alongside its Main Runway. VINCI Airports owns a 50.01% stake in the airport, with Global Infrastructure Partners managing the remaining 49.99%.
VINCI Airports, as the leading private airport operator in the world, manages the development and operation of more than 70 airports located in 14 countries. VINCI Airports draws on its expertise as a comprehensive integrator to develop, finance, build and operate airports, leveraging its investment capability and know-how to optimise operational performance and modernise infrastructure while bringing about their environmental transition. In 2016, VINCI Airports became the first airport operator to commit to an international environmental strategy, setting itself the aim of reaching zero net emissions (scope 1 and 2) across the network by 2050 while supporting the territories’ local climate transition.
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GIP’s scaled platform has over $170bn in assets under management. We believe that our focus on real infrastructure assets, combined with our deep proprietary origination network and comprehensive operational expertise, enables us to be responsible stewards of our clients’ capital and to create positive economic impact for communities. For more information, visit www.global-infra.com .
