The pay as you go payment system has been introduced on Southern, Gatwick Express and Thameslink services for passengers travelling to and from the airport and on Great Western trains between Gatwick and Redhill.

Ticket facilities at five other stations along the route - Horley, Salfords, Earlswood, Redhill and Merstham
- have also been upgraded to support pay as you go. Using Oyster and contactless makes travelling quicker and more convenient for passengers and helps reduce crowding at stations. It also means switching between services on London's transport network and National Rail is much simpler.

Almost 17.5million passenger journeys were made through Gatwick Airport station in 2014-15, an increase of 33 per cent since 2010-11. Mayor Boris Johnson said: 'Our Oyster and contactless ticketing system has
transformed the way people travel around the capital.

'We've already extended our pioneering approach to a number of key routes outside London and it's great news that it lands at Gatwick Airport today. Now more people than ever can enjoy our quick and easy way
to pay for travel.'

The new technology also means that more passengers can save money on their journeys. A single peak time paper ticket costs £15.50 from London Terminals to Gatwick Airport (excluding Gatwick Express). With pay as you go, a rush hour trip costs £14 and £8 off-peak.

To find out more about travel in London and Oyster visit the TfL website.