Gatwick Airport sustainability score: 39/100
Making progress starts at 46. The highest score on SINK is 71.
Gatwick Airport Limited owns and operates London Gatwick, the UK's second-largest airport by passenger numbers, which handled 42.8 million passengers in 2025. It has been majority-owned by VINCI Airports since 2019 and serves leisure and business travel in South East England.
More about Gatwick Airport
Revenue in 2025 was £1,132.1M, with about 2,800 staff.
Founded 1986Head office Gatwick, West Sussex, United KingdomStaff ~2,779Revenue £1,132.1M (FY2025)Website ↗
Gatwick cut its Scope 1 emissions 34% since 2021, but its total reported footprint rose 1.4% in 2025 as reported aircraft emissions climbed. The Northern Runway expansion was approved despite the examining authority's warning that its emissions could materially affect UK carbon targets. Its net-zero claims rest partly on offsets and on renewable electricity certificates.
Gatwick Airport scores 39/100 (Below expectations) on SINK's independent climate assessment, scored from public data only. Scores are free. Nobody can pay to change a score, speed it up or hide it. Last verified October 2026.
That places Gatwick Airport joint 451st of 1,023 companies scored, and 2nd of 2 in Airports / Transport Infrastructure.
What is Gatwick Airport doing well, and where does it fall short?
Strongest on Carbon Footprint: Operations and Carbon Footprint: Supply Chain (8/10, 6/10). Weakest on Emissions Trajectory and Water Impact (4/10, 4/10).
Where Gatwick Airport lost points
For each question that lost points, the evidence our public rubric looks for that we didn't find.
What would raise this score
- Whether its emissions are fallingShow a year-on-year fall in its total emissions.
- Its effect on waterMeasure its water footprint and set reduction targets.
- Its climate targetsMake its targets science-based, or commit to the Science Based Targets initiative.
Every question that lost points
- Emissions from its own operations8/10No verified figures published with their method and a falling trend.
- Emissions from its supply chain6/10No full value-chain map or supplier engagement programme.
- Whether its emissions are falling4/10No evidence of a year-on-year fall in its total emissions.
- How clean its energy is6/10Less than 90% of its energy shown to be renewable.
- Its effect on nature5/10Its effect on nature isn't measured or independently verified.
- How it uses materials and handles waste5/10No measurable waste or recycling targets reported publicly.
- Its effect on water4/10No measured water footprint with reduction targets.
- Its climate targets4/10Its targets aren't science-based or committed to the Science Based Targets initiative.
- How openly it reports6/10No annual impact report, or no pay linked to climate targets.
- Its record on controversies6/10Points deducted for controversies or its business model. The finding is under question 10.
A score changes when the evidence does. We use new published evidence at the next rescore. Anyone can send us new evidence, free. How to send it.
How is Gatwick Airport's SINK score calculated?
Same ten questions for every company. No private weighting.
SINK = (0.3 × Base + 0.7 × Performance) × ScaleHas Gatwick Airport's score changed?
Gatwick Airport's score has been reviewed 2 times and currently stands where it started, at 39.
- 39 → 397 November 2026
Correction, 7 November 2026: removed a related-company note naming a customer, supplier or partner without a source. Score unchanged.
- Scored 3921 October 2026
Initial public score 39 (publish-draft)
What evidence is Gatwick Airport's score based on?
14 sources used in this assessment. All publicly available. Each row shows which of the ten questions it informed.
7% of them were published by Gatwick Airport itself; the rest come from independent sources.
Gatwick's printed Scope 3 table for 2025 appears to be misaligned, with figures shifted by a row. We score the figures as printed, except the landing and take-off figure, which doesn't match Gatwick's own per-passenger figure and so isn't used. If Gatwick publishes a corrected table, we'll re-score.
13 of 14 sources are independent of the company.
“Total gross location-based SCOPE 1 and 2 22,024 25,955”
“Scope 1 (tCOe) 10,163 8,921 9,201 7,617 6,692”
“All 300 diesel vehicles, 85% of London Gatwick’s fleet, are now powered by HVO”
“Key to achieving this was our Stakeholder Partnership Plan which supports third parties on the campus to reduce emissions.”
“This has helped us to protect over 2,400 different species of plants, animals and fungi.”
“we use about 750,000 cubic meters of water a year”
“Water Quality De-Icer Impact Assessment”
“London Gatwick in the UK has received a Level 4+ Transition certification from the Airport Carbon Accreditation (ACA) organisation”
“The DCO authorises dual runway operations through altering the existing northern runway”
“This required the airport to offset its residual Scope 1 and 2 emissions, as well as emissions related to business travel.”
“GAL stated that the carbon removed through these projects will offset emissions generated between 2030 and 2039.”
“contrary to policy, the increase in greenhouse gas emissions would be likely to result in a material impact on achieving carbon targets”
“The SST took an irrational approach to the significance of GHG emissions and/or failed to give adequate reasons for her approach to that issue.”
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How does Gatwick Airport compare with other airports / transport infrastructure companies?
Gatwick Airport sits at the bottom of the airports / transport infrastructure pack.
Among the 2 major airports / transport infrastructure brands we've scored, Gatwick Airport sits 2nd of 2.
Who scores higher in Airports / Transport Infrastructure?
The one company in the sector scoring above Gatwick Airport.
See the full Airports / Transport Infrastructure table →Which companies moved this week, and why.
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