GATWICK experienced its busiest March on record, up 2.5 per cent on last year.

A total of 3.5 million passengers passed through the airport.

Long-haul routes were up 23.2 per cent year on year.

March also saw Gatwick once again adding to its global connectivity, launching two new long-haul routes to Austin and Chicago as well as announcing Qatar Airways’ impending new service to Doha.

The airport’s 61st consecutive month of growth saw a considerable percentage increase in passengers travelling to the United States and Canada, up 37 per cent on March last year.

Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles saw large percentage increases.

Gatwick chief executive Stewart Wingate said: “Having celebrated five consecutive years of growth back in February, March’s figures continue Gatwick’s global connectivity success story.

“Passenger demand for our transatlantic routes continues to boom with new services to Austin and Chicago with Norwegian starting in March – along with British Airways adding further capacity to Toronto with their new thrice-weekly service.

“As our performance in March demonstrates, Gatwick is playing an increasingly important role for the country on the world stage, providing global connectivity at a time when the UK really needs it.

“We have exciting plans for future growth at the airport, maximising the use of our existing facilities whilst continuing to offer the country the prospect of a financeable and deliverable new runway scheme.”

Gatwick’s Asia routes continued to grow in March too with passengers to Hong Kong up 67 per cent year-on-year.

A number of African destinations also performed well including Casablanca and Banjul.

Cargo tonnage grew by 21.7 per cent in March.

Gatwick’s short-haul business route network also continued to expand in March, with easyJet announcing a new thrice-daily service to Berlin Tegel due to launch next month.

Meanwhile, Gatwick has announced a new, year-long partnership with Kew’s wild botanic garden Wakehurst to support a bursary programme for schools in the South East.

It will cover the cost of travel to the site for schools with students from disadvantaged backgrounds, enabling them to learn about seed conservation and the research work of Kew’s scientists.

Wakehurst is funded and managed by the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, located in Ardingly.

The RBG Kew schools bursary programme is aimed at Key Stage 2 (seven to 11-year-old) students at schools with a higher level of pupil premium funding.

These are often situated in catchment areas with a range of social and economic challenges and where achievement is below the national average. These schools are less likely to be able to raise funds for out-of-school visits.

In support of the bursary programme, Gatwick Airport has decided to fund the travel costs for these schools to visit Wakehurst.