Gatwick has achieved record passenger growth in the past year, increasing its share of traffic in the London market.

The airport, which is currently making its case for a second runway, reported that passenger levels have reached 35.9 million - a rise of 4.8 per cent on the previous year. This has contributed to a profit of £57.5 million, compared with a £29.1 million loss in last year's results.

Gatwick has competed vigorously with other airports in order to achieve these strong results; it has also attracted new airlines and increased its share in the business travel market.

Some £1.2 billion has been invested by the airport in making improvements to the customer experience.

Stewart Wingate, chief executive officer of London Gatwick, said: "Expansion at Gatwick would ensure London can effectively compete with its European neighbours and provide essential air links that the UK needs to both established and emerging markets."

The airport claims it could deliver a new runway at a lower cost and with less environmental impact than the other options currently being considered by the Airports Commission.