London Gatwick opens applications for 2026 graduate scheme
- Applications have opened for the UK’s second busiest airport’s graduate scheme
- New roles in teams including Construction and Engineering will start in September 2026
- Graduates will gain hands-on experience and have access to unique development opportunities across the airport
London Gatwick has officially opened applications for its 2026 graduate scheme, an exciting opportunity for ambitious university leavers to launch their careers at one of the UK’s busiest and most dynamic airports.
Those who are successful will benefit from a distinctive combination of practical experience, rotations across different teams and involvement in high-impact projects that shape the future of the airport.
Graduates will have access to a wide range of development opportunities, designed to enhance communication skills, build self-awareness and develop core business capabilities such as leadership.
The programme will begin on 1 September 2026 and last between two and three years, depending on the role.
Roles available for 2026
Role | Fixed-term contract length | Description |
Construction Engineering Graduate x2 | 3 years | Contribute to live civil projects from runways to terminals and build the infrastructure that keeps the airport running |
Engineering Graduate x1 | 2 years | Deliver and manage an efficient and resilient asset base including the airfield, roads and baggage systems, while driving engineering excellence |
Data Analyst Graduate x1 | 2 years | Use data-driven insights to guide strategic decisions across commercial and operational teams |
Simon Baker, Interim HR Director at London Gatwick, said: "Our graduate programme offers a fantastic opportunity for young people to develop their skills, build confidence and gain valuable experience in a fast-paced operational environment. We recognise our graduates and apprentices bring fresh perspectives and are a vital part of our business. We look forward to welcoming the latest graduate cohort to the airport next year."
Kabishan Sivarasan, 2025 Engineering Graduate at London Gatwick said: "Joining London Gatwick has been a great way to start my career and the airport has a real buzz you can't find elsewhere. I chose this scheme due to the variety of learning opportunities available across different teams, which will help me build a strong foundation of skills for the future.”
Full information and how to apply can be found on London Gatwick’s careers page: https://www.gatwickairport.com/company/careers/graduates.html
Applications close on 21 November 2025, early applications are advised as the window may close before the deadline if a high volume of strong candidates is received.
London Gatwick is proud to support early careers through its graduate programmes, apprenticeships, work experience and year-round career events. Since 2021, we’ve engaged with more than 600,000 students through our education outreach programmes, supporting our goal of 1m student encounters by 2030 and inspiring greater interest and confidence in STEM careers.
With 43 million annual passengers, London Gatwick is the UK’s second largest and one of Europe’s top ten airports. It is a vital piece of national infrastructure that drives both the national and regional economies by generating £5.5 billion GVA and supporting over 76,000 jobs (2023). Almost 60 airlines fly from the airport to over 150 short-haul and more than 50 long-haul destinations. With a declared capacity of 55 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 (15 million 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.
For more information:
Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), a part of BlackRock, is a leading infrastructure investor that specializes in investing in, owning and operating some of the largest and most complex assets across the energy, transport, digital infrastructure and water and waste management sectors. With energy pragmatism central to our investment thesis, we are well positioned to support the global energy transition.
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.
