Gatwick is the UK's second-busiest airport and the world's busiest single-runway airport, handling 43+ million passengers a year across two physically separated terminals. The single-runway operation creates extreme turnaround pressure on stand and apron surfaces, and the connecting inter-terminal transit places shuttle and travelator zones under continuous, high-density wheeled-luggage load.
For Gatwick (LGW)
Every airport runs its own combination of terminal, transit, baggage and apron finishes. Knowing what's actually on the ground at Gatwick means we calibrate our testing scope and pricing precisely — no over-engineering, no missed exposure.
North Terminal — polished porcelain throughout the airside departure zone, polished concrete at the long-stay and short-stay walkway apron
South Terminal — terrazzo flooring in the central concourse with extensive carpet-tile in lounges; polished stone in the ground-transportation interchange
Airside aprons — high-loading concrete across Pier 1, Pier 5 and Pier 6, with fuel-spill exposure peaking at remote southern stands
Inter-terminal transit shuttle — polished concrete at boarding platforms, rubber and steel grip-strip at vehicle thresholds
Jet bridges — anti-slip coated entry floors on a 36-month refurbishment cycle
Generic slip-test providers treat every airport the same. Gatwick's operational profile creates exposure patterns that need specific evidence — not a templated default.
Gatwick's single runway forces aggressive turnaround targets — apron and stand surfaces see more frequent fuel-, oil- and de-icing residue incidents per square metre than any equivalent two-runway airport in the UK.
The shuttle's boarding platforms and the vehicle-to-platform threshold zone face continuous wheeled-luggage transit; PTV at the platform edge needs evidencing separately from terminal interior values.
The South Terminal arrivals exit faces westerly weather exposure — entrance-mat run-off zones across the polished-stone floor concentrate slip risk on wet-weather days.
Several airside lounges (BA, No.1, Plaza Premium) transition directly from carpet to polished porcelain — wet-shoe carry-out from lounges to the corridor creates measurable PTV risk in the first 2m of corridor surface.
Gatwick operates under CAA aerodrome licence EGKK with VINCI's group safety standards layered onto the standard UK SMS framework. Reports are accepted by the airport's internal H&S team and by Crawley Borough Council EHO for landside concession premises.
An anonymised summary of a recent Gatwick engagement. Names withheld for client confidentiality.
A handling agent operating across three Gatwick piers commissioned a comprehensive apron and stand PTV survey to support an insurer-driven slip-claim review. Sixty-two test points were recorded across stand surfaces, jet-bridge entry floors and crew-walkway interfaces. Three stands were identified with pre-existing fuel-residue contamination affecting wet PTV; the client's surface-cleaning protocol was re-specified, and the underwriter accepted the UKAS-accredited evidence as sufficient to maintain renewal premium terms.
Discuss your Gatwick testing →Whether you operate the airport itself, an airside concession, a ground-handling business or a maintenance operation, we'll return a fully-costed, no-obligation quotation within one working day.
Mon–Fri, 8am–6pm office hours.
Out-of-hours testing available by arrangement.