Watch more of our videos on ShotsTV.com
and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565

All airlines whose Gatwick business has been hit hard by the pandemic are expected to return to the airport this summer - except for Virgin Atlantic.

And airport bosses say there are positive signs for the future.

At the start of the Covid crisis last March, Emirates and Virgin switched services to Heathrow.

And Norwegian later grounded all their long haul fleet from Gatwick

Gatwick Airport: Photo: @Halo Vue Aerial Photography

Meanwhile the airport has not had any sheduled flights to the USA since April 2020.

The dominant airline remaining at Gatwick with 69 per cent of passengers between April and December 2020 was easyJet.

British Airways, along with a number of other airlines, re-started long-haul flights from Gatwick in July until the second and third lockdowns again hit hard.

In a strategic report out this week, Gatwick says that passenger numbers fell from 46.6 million in 2019 to 10.2 million as a result of Covid-19.

And the number of Gatwick employees was cut by 44 per cent.

But bosses are optimistic of a good recovery come summer.

The strategic report states: “Passenger behaviour shows pent up demand for travel to come to fruition in summer 2021.”

And, it says, that testing and vaccination is likely to lead to restrictions being lifted both in the Uk and abroad.

Airlines set to re-start flights from Gatwick this summer