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LONDON, March 27 (Reuters) - London's second-busiest
airport, Gatwick, said on Friday it would shut one of its two
terminals next week following a collapse in flight numbers and
government restrictions on unnecessary trips.
The north terminal, used by carriers including EasyJet, will
shut from April 1.
"Gatwick is a resilient but also responsible business and
during these extraordinary times we need to take unprecedented
measures to protect the health and wellbeing of our staff and
passengers, while also shielding the business from the impact of
coronavirus," the airport's Chief Executive Stewart Wingate
said.
The terminal will stay shut for at least a month, the
airport said, with the situation being kept under regular
review.
The closure of the terminal comes after British Prime
Minister Boris Johnson order people to stay at home to halt the
spread of coronavirus on Monday. Non-essential shops have also
been told to close.
A decision will be taken on reopening the terminal when
airline traffic increases and government public health advice –
including on social distancing – is relaxed, the airport said.
Scheduled flights at the south terminal will run between
1400 and 2200 BST (1300 and 2100 GMT), with the runway only open
for emergency landings and diversions outside those hours.
Airlines have slashed schedules due to travel restrictions
aimed at slowing the spread of coronavirus and a week ago
easyJet said it would ground most of its flights, only operating
essential services on some routes since Tuesday.
London's City Airport said on Wednesday it would close until
the end of April, and Heathrow, the busiest in Europe, has
started to shrink its operation to remain open throughout the
crisis for some passenger flights and a surge in cargo activity.
(Reporting by Alistair Smout and Elizabeth Howcroft; editing by
Michael Holden and Stephen Addison)
