Pierre-Hugues Schmit has been appointed as the new chief executive of London Gatwick Airport as the current incumbent steps up to a new role at the airport’s owner.
Schmit is currently the chief commercial and operational officer at Gatwick’s owner, VINCI Airports, and a non-executive director on the London Gatwick Board. He will start his new role on 1 September.
Meanwhile, current chief executive, Stewart Wingate, has been appointed as managing director, UK Airports, a newly created role by VINCI Airports and Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP).
In the UK, VINCI Airports also operates Belfast International and Edinburgh airports.
Schmit said: “London Gatwick plays a vital role in the UK, by providing seamless access to both global and domestic markets and delivering substantial trade and economic benefits in the South East and beyond. I’m excited to be joining London Gatwick as Chief Executive to lead the airport through the next stage of its growth journey.”
Stewart Wingate, Chief Executive, London Gatwick said: “It’s been a privilege to lead the London Gatwick team for over 15 years through a number of very exciting projects such as the seven-year planning process to bring our Northern Runway into routine use and more challenging periods such as the Covid pandemic.
“I have also been fortunate to have had the opportunity to engage with a broad range of local stakeholders as we have shaped and delivered our plans.”
“I am delighted to be handing over to Pierre-Hugues and look forward to continuing to be involved with London Gatwick and working with the teams from Edinburgh and Belfast in my new role.”
The appointment comes as the airport has ambitious plans to expand its runway provisions.
The UK government recently said it is minded to approve Gatwick Airport’s plans to put its northern runway into regular use.
UK secretary of state for transport Heidi Alexander today issued a “minded to approve” letter to Gatwick for its £2.2bn expansion plans which include utilising the northern runway.
Under the existing planning agreement, Gatwick’s standby runway is used only when the main runway is closed for maintenance or emergencies.
The Gatwick plans would see the northern runway being moved further away from the main runway as the two cannot be used at the same time due to their proximity to each other.
If given approval, Gatwick figures show this would bring in an additional 60,000 flights per year and boost cargo volumes to 161,500 tonnes by 2038 compared with 61,000 tonnes in 2023
