by Donald Wood
Last updated: 12:00 PM ET, Thu January 14, 2016
Photo courtesy of Thinkstock
London Gatwick Airport set a new world record for single runway airports by serving a total of 40.3 million passengers in 2015.
According to Gatwick Airport's official website, the facility was already the busiest single-runway airport in the world, but the 5.6 percent increase in passengers served last year is stretching the limits of capacity for the already busy facility.
One of the main reasons behind the success last year was the growth of Gatwick's long-haul services to North American cities like Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Toronto, as well as more tropical destinations like Goa, Jamaica and Barbados.
The growth for the airport also expands past just 2015, as the facility is now reporting 34 months of growth. Gatwick CEO Stewart Wingate told Kari Lundgren of Bloomberg.com that the airport offers a path to adding capacity that's "legal, affordable, cleaner and quieter."
The continued growth at the facility has led to conversations amongst experts and the government in regards to Gatwick possibly adding a second runway to accommodate for the steady surge of travelers.
Politicians in the United Kingdom understand that both Gatwick and Heathrow Airport are almost at capacity now and would be ideal candidates for expansion. Adding another runway to one of the facilities is being considered, and Gatwick officials hope the record-breaking numbers from 2015 gives the airport the chance to expand.
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