Gatwick: Single Minded

PT World | January 2026
12 Dec 2025

Ahead of PTE World 2026 in London, Pierre-Hugues Schmit, the new CEO of London Gatwick, Europe’s busiest single-runway airport, tells PTW his plans

Please tell us about your career path so far.

Before starting as London Gatwick chief executive, I was chief commercial and operational officer at Vinci Airports for eight years. This role covered the entire Vinci Airports portfolio of 70 airports in 14 countries. I oversaw a broad range of activities, from airport operations to air service development, commercial services and cargo.

While at Vinci, I was also a non-executive director on the London Gatwick board, so I was already familiar with many key business issues and operational areas of focus at the airport.

Prior to joining Vinci, I worked in different environments, but all were related to aviation.

My first job, more than 25 years ago, was flight dispatch on a French aircraft carrier. After some civil aviation academic training, I worked at the French CAA for seven years. Then I was an advisor to the French Transportation Minister, before joining Aéroports de Paris as deputy director of the general aviation department, responsible for the operation of 12 small airports in the Paris area. I left there in 2013 to co-found a French airline, before joining Vinci in 2017.

Gatwick: Single Minded - PT World | January 2026 - 12 Dec 2025