A total of 400 new security staff have been employed and the airport said: “With additional resources across the Gatwick operation in place, no further moderation of flying programmes is necessary.”

Gatwick reported passenger demand at 74.3% of pre-pandemic levels during April, May and June, and at 59.1% for the half year January to June.

In the six months to 30 June, Gatwick saw 13.1 million passengers, compared to only 570,000 in the same period in 2021. However, numbers are still lagging behind the 22.2 million seen in the first half of 2019.

Stewart Wingate, Gatwick’s chief executive, said: “The unprecedented growth in traffic led to short term operational issues in June, however our decisive early action to limit the airport’s capacity in the crucial school holiday period of July and August has ensured passengers have experienced reliable flight timetables over the summer months.

"We are now very much operating business as usual and do not see any reason to extend the capacity declaration.”
 
The airport made a profit of £148.3 million pre-tax, compared to a loss of £50.2 million in the same period last year.  

The airport said it was “cautiously optimistic” about 2022, with traffic forecasts “revised up” to 32.8 million, but added: “uncertainty remains over the macro-economic climate”.
 
Gatwick reopened its South Terminal on 27 March and said the redevelopment of its train station was “progressing well”, with completion due in 2023. 
 
Wingate added: “We still have some way to go, but strong demand has fast-tracked Gatwick’s recovery from the pandemic, particularly in the last quarter since all UK travel restrictions were removed. Air traffic volumes have reflected this strong passenger demand and have bounced back to around 75% of pre-Covid levels. 

Despite the upbeat message, Gatwick was hit with cancellations today (23 August) due to illness among air traffic control staff. A total of 26 easyJet flights - 13 inbound and 13 outbound - were cancelled as a result, according to the BBC.