Leadership Shift: Stewart Wingate Appointed MD of UK Airports, Pierre-Hugues Schmit Steps in as CEO of Gatwick
As reported by VINCI Airports, Stewart Wingate, who has successfully lead London Gatwick for 15 years, is stepping into a new role as managing director of UK Airports. This position is part of a fresh initiative by VINCI and Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP).
In his new capacity, Wingate will guide the strategic growth and future plans for London Gatwick, Edinburgh airport, and Belfast International. The chief executives of these airports will report directly to him while he maintains dual reporting lines to both VINCI and GIP concerning operations at London Gatwick and Edinburgh.
Pierre-Hugues Schmit, who currently serves as the Chief Commercial and Operational Officer at VINCI Airports and holds a non-executive director position on the London Gatwick Board, will take over as CEO of London Gatwick.
The transition for both appointments is set to take effect on September 1st, 2025. In the coming months, Pierre-Hugues and Stewart will collaborate closely to ensure everything goes smoothly during this changeover.
Nicolas Notebaert from VINCI Concessions along with Michael McGhee from GIP expressed their gratitude towards stewart: “Stewart stands out as one of Europe’s most seasoned aviation leaders. We appreciate his remarkable contributions to London Gatwick. under his leadership, passenger numbers surged from 30 million in 2009 to over 43 million today due in part to expanded long-haul routes and robust airline partnerships. He has also driven significant improvements in runway operations while embedding sustainability into airport practices.”
“We also extend our thanks to Pierre-Hugues Schmit for his impactful work at VINCI Airports over the last seven years,” they added. “His extensive background in aviation positions him well for leading London Gatwick through its next growth phase.”
the outgoing CEO Wingate remarked: “Leading the team at London Gatwick has been an amazing journey filled with exciting projects like our northern Runway planning process alongside navigating challenges such as the Covid pandemic. I’ve had great interactions with local stakeholders throughout this time.”
“The airport stands strong financially with more airlines than ever serving our passengers,” he continued enthusiastically about handing over responsibilities to Pierre-Hugues while remaining involved with both Edinburgh and Belfast airports.
Pierre-Hugues shared his excitement about taking on this role: “London Gatwick is crucial for connecting global markets while providing economic benefits across Southeast England. I’m thrilled about leading it into its next chapter.”
Cargo Operations at LGW
The ancient focus of London Gatwick Airport has been primarily on passenger traffic rather than dedicated airfreight services; cargo typically travels in passenger aircraft’s belly holds instead.This strategy limits its freight capabilities compared to larger competitors like Heathrow.
Lately though, ther’s been a notable rebound in passenger numbers approaching pre-pandemic levels—46.5 million travelers recorded back in 2019—which indirectly boosts air freight opportunities through increased belly-hold transport options available via more flights.Bearing that said; however modestly sized freight operations persist without dedicated cargo terminals or ample freighter activity present here yet!
Aiming forward; expansion plans could reshape how we view freight capabilities moving ahead! With proposals underway regarding regular use of their standby northern runway aiming towards accommodating up-to-75-million passengers annually by late-2030s—this £2 billion project focuses mainly upon enhancing customer experience but may inadvertently open doors wider still when it comes down ultimately benefiting belly-hold cargo transport too!
No matter these developments though—it seems unlikely that LGW would emerge anytime soon as an airfreight powerhouse! Their current reliance remains heavily tied up within existing passenger aircraft capacities leaving little room left available specifically earmarked solely just-for-cargo services either way going forward!
Main focus continues being directed squarely onto servicing travelers first-and-foremost—with any potential uptick seen within freight activities likely serving merely secondary purposes stemming off increased flight operations overall instead!
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