Gatwick Airport passengers faced major disruption after a water supply failure left both terminals without running water, preventing toilets from flushing and forcing the airport to provide bottled water while engineers investigated the issue.
The disruption, caused by low water pressure and a loss of supply in the Horley area, affected essential facilities across the airport. Passengers were unable to use drinking fountains, while cafés and restaurants were unable to prepare beverages. Despite the disruption, flights continued to operate as normal.
In a statement, Gatwick Airport confirmed the issue was under investigation and said contingency measures had been introduced to support passengers and staff.
The airport said: “A water issue in the Horley area is causing disruption at the airport this morning. The problem is affecting water supply in both terminals and is currently under investigation.
“Bottled water is being made available to passengers and staff across the airport, and other contingency measures are being put in place to ensure the welfare of our passengers. We will provide further updates and apologise for any inconvenience.”
The update, published shortly before 11am, sparked criticism from travellers, many of whom claimed the airport had failed to communicate the problem quickly enough.
Passengers took to social media to complain that there had been little or no information inside the terminals, with some accusing airport management of responding too slowly to the incident.
Others described the disruption as a public health concern, pointing out that the lack of running water meant passengers were unable to wash their hands in airport toilets.
With Gatwick handling around 46 million passengers annually as the UK’s second-busiest airport, some travellers argued that operations should be suspended until the water supply is fully restored.
The disruption is also linked to a wider supply issue affecting customers of SES Water, which serves parts of Surrey, West Sussex, Kent and South London.
The utility company confirmed it was investigating problems at its Bough Beech Water Treatment Works, with customers in the TN8, TN11 and parts of the RH1 postcode areas reporting supply issues. Some residents in the RH6 area, which includes Gatwick Airport, also experienced water outages.
SES Water said bottled water was being delivered to vulnerable customers registered on its priority services list while engineers worked to restore normal supplies as quickly as possible.