Matthew Wood has joined Gatwick Airport as head of airline relations, with responsibility for working in partnership with existing airlines and building on the recent success in attracting new airlines and destinations.

Gatwick can see a clear path to grow to 40 million passengers by the end of this decade on its single runway, two terminal infrastructure, officials said recently.

Over the past two-and-a-half years, Gatwick has been investing £20 million a month improving the facilities and delivering a great service for passengers.

Speedier check-in and security processes for passengers, the introduction of tailored services that better meet the needs of the different types of passengers and the ability to get their aircraft away on time, are just a few of the reasons why airlines, such as Air China, Korean Air, Hong Kong Airlines, Lufthansa and Turkish Airlines have chosen to operate from Gatwick this year.

Prior to joining Gatwick, Wood was head of network and fleet development for SPANAIR where he was instrumental in expanding the airline network, resulting in the launch of 24 new routes across Europe and Africa.

Commenting on his appointment, Guy Stephenson, chief commercial officer at Gatwick Airport said: “We have been competing vigorously since the change in ownership and we are well positioned and have the capacity to ensure London retains its status as an international hub.

“We have a strong desire and drive to bring new long and short-haul services into Gatwick and our recent success in attracting a number of long-haul Asian-based carriers is testament that Gatwick is changing for the better.”