Gatwick Airport: North Terminal vs South Terminal

Gatwick’s two terminals sit about a mile apart, split by the airport’s single runway, which means there is no walking between them and no shortcut if you head to the wrong one. Unlike Heathrow, the split at Gatwick is not organised around airline alliances. It comes down to which airline you are flying, and since March 2026 that answer has become simpler for the airport’s biggest carrier.

Two terminals, one runway between them

South Terminal is the original building and remains the busier of the two, home to the airport’s railway station and the majority of scheduled long-haul and full-service traffic. North Terminal sits across the runway and has become easyJet’s exclusive Gatwick base as of March 2026, after the airline consolidated a schedule that used to be split awkwardly across both buildings. There is no airside connection between them. Once through security in one terminal, you cannot cross to the other without exiting and going through security again.

Which terminal for which airline at Gatwick

North Terminal

North Terminal now handles easyJet exclusively, alongside Emirates, Turkish Airlines, Norwegian, Singapore Airlines, WestJet and a handful of long-haul and charter operators. Jet2 moved into North Terminal in March 2026 as part of a wider reshuffle. TUI splits its schedule across both terminals, with flight numbers starting TOM departing from North.

South Terminal

South Terminal is the larger of the two and holds British Airways’ Gatwick operation, along with Ryanair, Wizz Air, Vueling and most TAP Portugal and TUI flights not starting with TOM. It is also where the railway station sits, serving Gatwick Express, Thameslink and Southern trains, which makes South Terminal the natural arrival point for anyone coming from central London by rail regardless of which terminal their flight actually uses. Terravision’s coach service into central London also picks up at Gatwick, giving a fixed-schedule alternative to the train for either terminal.

The shuttle: the only way between them

A free, driverless shuttle train links North and South Terminal around the clock, with a ride time of about 2 minutes and departures every few minutes at any hour. The catch is that the 2-minute figure is only the ride itself. Once you add walking to the shuttle platform on one end and to check-in or the exit on the other, a realistic door-to-door transfer runs 10 to 15 minutes. If you are arriving at North Terminal but need the railway station, which sits at South, factor in this same shuttle leg before you can board a train.

Timing comparison: arriving at the right terminal vs the wrong one

Arriving at the correct terminal, the whole process from drop-off to security is straightforward and typically the fastest part of a Gatwick departure. Arriving at the wrong one changes the math meaningfully: you need to reach the shuttle platform, ride the 2-minute connection, then walk to check-in or security at the correct building, which realistically adds 20 to 30 minutes to a journey that should have taken none. This matters most for anyone cutting it close on time, since Gatwick’s check-in and bag-drop deadlines do not flex for a terminal mix-up.

The gap widens further outside daytime hours. Early morning departures before 6am and late arrivals after midnight still get a shuttle every few minutes, since the service runs 24 hours a day, but the terminals themselves are quieter, with fewer staff on hand to redirect a confused passenger quickly. Anyone flying at an unusual hour benefits most from checking the terminal the night before rather than working it out at the airport.

Practical planning for Gatwick

• Confirm your terminal on the booking confirmation or boarding pass, not from memory of a previous trip, since airlines have shifted terminals significantly through 2026.
• If you are arriving by train, you will land at South Terminal regardless of your flight. Budget the shuttle transfer if you are flying from North.
• For a pre-booked transfer or taxi, confirm the terminal with your driver in advance. Drop-off points for North and South are entirely separate and not visible from each other.
• If connecting between two flights split across the terminals, allow at least 90 minutes rather than the standard 60, to cover the shuttle and a second security screening.

What travellers consistently get wrong

The most common error is assuming the two terminals are close enough to walk, or close enough that a taxi drop-off at the wrong one is a minor inconvenience. They are genuinely separated by the runway, with the shuttle as the only direct connection. The second common mistake is booking ground transport to ‘Gatwick Airport’ without specifying North or South, which can leave a pre-arranged pickup waiting at the wrong building entirely. Always specify the terminal, not just the airport, when booking any transfer.

FAQ

Which Gatwick terminal does easyJet use at Gatwick?

North Terminal exclusively, since March 2026. Before that date, easyJet’s schedule was split across both terminals, which was a common source of confusion. If you booked before the change or are working from an older guide, double-check your boarding pass, since the airline’s full operation now runs from North Terminal only.

How long does it take to get from North to South Terminal at Gatwick?

The shuttle ride itself takes about 2 minutes, running 24 hours a day at a frequency of every few minutes. Including the walk to the platform on either end, a realistic door-to-door transfer takes 10 to 15 minutes. If you are switching terminals for a connecting flight, add the time to clear security again at the new terminal on top of this.

Which terminal has the train station at Gatwick?

South Terminal. The railway station serving Gatwick Express, Thameslink and Southern services sits directly beneath South Terminal. If your flight is at North Terminal and you are arriving or departing by train, you will need the free inter-terminal shuttle to complete the journey, so build that extra leg into your timing. Travellers who would rather avoid this step sometimes choose a fixed-schedule coach transfer instead, since it can be booked to the correct terminal directly without depending on the shuttle at all.

Can I walk between Gatwick North and South Terminal?

No. The two terminals are separated by the airport’s runway, roughly a mile apart, and there is no pedestrian route between them. The only connection is the free automated shuttle, which takes about 2 minutes to cross. This is different from airports where terminals sit close enough for a short walk. At Gatwick, the shuttle is not a convenience option, it is the only way across, so it is worth confirming it is running normally if you are transferring with a tight connection.