London Gatwick Chief Operating Officer Mark Johnston appointed new Chief Executive of Edinburgh Airport
- Mark Johnston appointed Chief Executive of Edinburgh Airport effective 1 October 2026
- Mark replaces Gordon Dewar who departs after 14 years with Edinburgh Airport
London Gatwick today announced that its Chief Operating Officer Mark Johnston has been appointed as the new Chief Executive of Edinburgh Airport.
Mark will take up the role on 1 October, succeeding Gordon Dewar, and returning to his home city to lead Scotland's busiest airport. Mark’s successor at London Gatwick will be announced in due course.
Well known across the aviation industry, Mark was previously Managing Director of Glasgow Airport.
Mark Johnston, Chief Operating Officer, London Gatwick said: “It’s been a privilege to lead the operations teams at London Gatwick for two and a half years and deliver a world-class service to our passengers and airlines in a very challenging market. We have continued to innovate to further optimise what is already the world’s most efficient single-runway airport, enhancing operational performance and resilience.
“I'm incredibly proud to be appointed Chief Executive of Edinburgh Airport, an airport that means a great deal to me as someone born and raised in this fantastic city. It's also an exciting time to be joining the airport as it embarks on the largest ever capital investment programme in its history. Its continued growth is a testament to the strength of the highly skilled team in place, and whose reputation is recognised across the industry. I'm looking forward to working alongside them as we continue to grow, strengthen connectivity and play our part in supporting Scotland and the UK's economy.
"I also want to pay tribute to Gordon Dewar, who leaves behind an exceptionally strong business and an airport that has gone from strength to strength under his leadership. He is someone I have always respected and admired and it's a real privilege to be returning to my home city to build on that success at Scotland's busiest airport."
Pierre-Hugues Schmit, Chief Executive, London Gatwick said: “Mark has amassed a wealth of technical and management experience in the airports sector over the past two decades. Thanks to this, he has played a critical leadership role at London Gatwick, focused on delivering a safe, efficient and smooth-running operation and successfully implementing key strategic projects such as the roll out of next generation security and a number of aerodrome and airfield performance enhancements. This includes becoming the first single runway airport in the world to implement intelligent arrivals spacing.
"We are very grateful for his contribution to London Gatwick and wish him every success in his new role.”
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.
