Gatwick Airport is now in a league of its own as it breaks its own record for the number of passengers travelling on a single runway - more than 42 million passengers now travel through the airport annually.

This new record was achieved on the same weekend that Cathay Pacific’s new route to Hong Kong joins the airport’s wide range of long-haul connections, further boosting Gatwick’s links to China and the Far East.

With 4.8 million passengers travelling through the airport in August, 5.7 per cent up on last year, Gatwick’s expansion plans have also been boosted by significant political and business support over the summer.

As Cathay Pacific’s new route to Hong Kong commenced this week, long-haul routes at the airport have grown 25 per cent versus August 2015, with North Atlantic routes driving this growth up 51 per cent.

Vancouver routes were up 96 per cent, Montreal routes 63 per cent, and Los Angeles routes 51 per cent.

Average load factors were consistently strong at 91 per cent.

Speaking ahead of the Westminster Energy, Environment and Transport Forum, Gatwick chief financial officer Nick Dunn, said: “Politically, economically and environmentally the case for Gatwick expansion has never been stronger.

“We’re expansion ready - with this summer our busiest ever and the results of our increased investment attracting new airlines including Cathay Pacific’s new route to Hong Kong.”