London Gatwick has seen a significant rise in rail travel among younger passengers, with more than half of the airport’s Gen Z passengers catching a train to their plane.
New data reveals that 53% of 16 to 24-year-olds chose to reach London Gatwick by rail in the first three months of 2025 - up from 47% in 2024. This compares to 44% of all passengers in 2025, underscoring Gen Z’s growing commitment to sustainable and efficient transport.
The figures also show that Gen Z passengers – the demographic born between 1997 and 2012 - were more likely to travel more than two hours to reach London Gatwick, with 17% doing so in 2024 compared to 14% of all passengers.
London Gatwick is the best-connected UK airport by rail, with direct services to more than 120 stations and hundreds more within just one change. Up to 19 trains per hour leave Gatwick’s dedicated on-site station to London – an average of every four minutes, as frequent as the London Underground.
As well as services connecting to central London in just 30 minutes, passengers can also directly reach places including Brighton, Cambridge and Reading.
Nick Williams, Head of Passenger Operations, London Gatwick said:
“It’s inspiring to see younger passengers embracing rail travel in such strong numbers. Gen Z is leading the shift toward more sustainable airport access and we’re proud to support that with excellent rail connectivity and frequent services to meet their needs.”
Jenny Saunders, Customer Services Director, Govia Thameslink Railway said:
"Our Gatwick Express, Southern and Thameslink trains are a swift and sustainable way to reach London Gatwick, so it's refreshing to see so many younger people choosing us."
"Many will also be attracted by the multi-million-pound redeveloped station, opened at Gatwick less than two years ago. This has wider platforms, a brand-new concourse, new lifts and escalators to make it bigger, better and more accessible than ever before."
London Gatwick is continuing to invest in improving passenger experience and accessibility, making train travel an increasingly attractive option.
Through its Sustainable Transport Fund (STF), the airport has supported improved frequencies, longer timetables and new direct connections, including funding the doubling of the Great Western Railway service from Gatwick to Reading to two trains per hour. The airport also helping fund its redeveloped train station, which offers double the available concourse space, wider platforms, new lifts, stairs and escalators.
Alongside its excellent rail connectivity, London Gatwick is also served by an extensive local bus network – with up to 40 buses stopping at the airport each hour during peak times – while both National Express and Flixbus help connect London Gatwick with more than 50 destinations across the UK by coach.
