Gatwick Airport, Britain’s second busiest airport which is competing to be chosen as the site for a new runway, reported the six months ended September 30 were its busiest on record, with passenger numbers in the period up 8 per cent.

Gatwick yesterday said a total of 22.5 million passengers used it in the first six months of its financial year, helping boost core earnings by 12.7 per cent to £221.6 million.

Gatwick, south of London, has been shortlisted by a government commission as a possible location for a new runway in the densely populated London area, along with two options at the country’s busiest airport Heathrow.

The commission is due to make a recommendation on where to build the new runway next summer.

Gatwick is run by Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), which owns a 42 per cent controlling stake in the airport.

Other shareholders are the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, National Pension Service of Korea, California Public Employees’ Retirement System and the Future Fund of Australia.

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