There was a drop of 0.8 per cent in passenger numbers at Gatwick Airport in January when compared to the prior year, according to new figure.

This is despite the continuing challenging economic conditions and winter weather in January, which saw the airport make use of its £8m snow-clearing fleet to remain fully operational.

Gatwick continued to see growth in domestic (6,800 more passengers) and long-haul markets (21,900 more passengers).

Load factors in January of 74.9 per cent were 1.3 percentage points higher than the prior year.

There was a decline in European scheduled and charter flights this month, as the challenging economic climate in Europe continues.

Gatwick Airport’s chief financial officer Nick Dunn said: “In January we saw a slight decline in the number of passengers travelling through Gatwick, which is a reflection of lower European traffic. However this was balanced with growth from long-haul airlines serving Asia.

“We are delighted that Garuda Indonesia has chosen Gatwick to operate a vital new direct route to a key high-growth business market. Jakarta is also a major hub airport for South East Asia, giving UK passengers even more access and choice to the region.”