London Gatwick welcomes new Chief Executive Pierre-Hugues Schmit
- Pierre-Hugues Schmit joins London Gatwick following eight years as Chief Commercial and Operational Officer at VINCI Airports, covering 70 airports around the world
- Pierre-Hugues joins London Gatwick at a crucial time as the airport awaits a Government decision on its £2.2bn privately financed Northern Runway plan
- Former Chief Executive, Stewart Wingate, also starts new role as Managing Director of UK Airports – overseeing the strategic direction of London Gatwick, Edinburgh and Belfast International airports - today
London Gatwick has today welcomed its new Chief Executive, Pierre-Hugues Schmit.
Pierre-Hugues joins the airport from his previous role as Chief Commercial and Operational Officer at VINCI Airports, he was also a non-executive director on the London Gatwick Board.
In this role, he oversaw operations across the entire VINCI Airports portfolio, which comprises 70 airports in 14 countries and serves more than 300 million passengers, managing a wide range of activities from airport operations to air service development and cargo.
Pierre-Hugues joins London Gatwick just weeks ahead of a Government decision on its Northern Runway planning application. If approved, routine use of the Northern Runway will unlock 14,000 new jobs and an additional £1bn in economic benefits every year. A final decision is expected by 27 October.
Pierre-Hugues Schmit, Chief Executive, London Gatwick said: “London Gatwick is the UK’s second busiest airport and plays a vital role enabling trade, tourism and economic growth both regionally and across the country.
“This is an exciting time to join, with more airlines than ever before using the airport and a final decision from the Government on our Northern Runway planning application just weeks away.
“Our teams work extremely hard every day to ensure we provide an efficient, enjoyable and accessible experience for passengers. I’m looking forward to working with everyone to keep improving the service we provide and realising the significant growth opportunities that lie ahead.”
Pierre-Hugues succeeds Stewart Wingate, who also begins his new position as Managing Director, UK Airports, a newly created role by VINCI Airports and Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), today.
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.
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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.
Pierre-Hugues Schmit joined London Gatwick as Chief Executive on 1 September 2025.
Prior to joining London Gatwick, he was Chief Commercial and Operational Officer at VINCI Airports, a role he held since 2017. In this role, he oversaw operations across the entire VINCI Airports portfolio, which comprises 70 airports in 14 countries and serves over 300 million passengers, managing a wide range of activities from airport operations to air service development and cargo.
Pierre-Hugues also worked for the French Civil Aviation Authority for seven years, including three years as Head of the French Airlines Department from 2006 to 2009. Between 2010 and 2012, he served as an adviser to the French Transport Minister and later joined Aéroports de Paris as Deputy Director of the Le Bourget division. In 2014, alongside three partners, he co-founded La Compagnie, a French airline based in Paris and offering business class services to New York.
From 2019 until his appointment as CEO, Pierre-Hugues was a non-executive director on the London Gatwick Board, where he chaired the airport’s Operations Health and Safety Committee.
A graduate of Ecole Polytechnique (Paris) in 2001 and the French National University of Civil Aviation (ENAC in Toulouse) in 2003, Pierre-Hugues also spent one year at UC Berkeley as graduate student in transportation engineering.
