Carrier Ensures Reliable Cooling at London Gatwick Airport with Comprehensive Service and Maintenance
The Client
Gatwick Airport is the UK’s second-largest airport, welcoming more than 43 million passengers through the airport in 2024.
VINCI Airports owns a 50.01% stake in the airport, with Global Infrastructure Partners managing the remaining 49.99%. London Gatwick has two terminals, North and South, with 65 gates and more than 30 shops and restaurants, covering a total area of 674 hectares (1,670 acres). London Gatwick was one of the world's first airports with an enclosed pier-based terminal, which allowed passengers to walk under cover to waiting areas near the aircraft.
Providing passenger with a comfortable indoor environment is integral to creating a positive passenger experience.
The airport needed a service and maintenance solution that would be able to keep its cooling infrastructure running continuously, while also helping to meet its long-term sustainability commitments.
With passengers, staff and critical airport systems relying on a consistent cooling supply, any servicing, repairs and upgrades must be carefully planned to avoid any disruption to daily operations.
With its ageing equipment, London Gatwick needed a maintenance partner to help manage its F-Gas compliance and other regulatory compliance needed to meet insurance requirements.
London Gatwick is aiming for net zero emissions by 2030. Servicing and maintenance will play a crucial role in reducing F-Gas loss, improving energy efficiency and guiding the airport towards lower operating expenses.
The Solution
Carrier has been a long-term service partner of London Gatwick, initially maintaining the district cooling plant before expanding to oversee the airport’s chiller assets in 2018.
Carrier provides full service and maintenance for 50 chillers across the airport, including the main plant at the North and South terminals. The approach integrates both physical and digital maintenance solutions to keep the equipment running consistently.
Carrier engineers are on-site daily to provide dedicated in-person responsive support. As well as in-person maintenance, Carrier’s team of engineers conduct remote service checks, ensuring all chillers are functioning as intended.
Part of the service and maintenance Carrier offers also includes proactively managing F-Gas loss through scheduled inspections and preventive maintenance and offering guidance and support when equipment needs upgrading or replacing. One example was the installation of an AquaForce® 30XAV chiller at the airport’s Jubilee House. This chiller replaced an aging air-cooled screw chiller and operates on PUREtec® HFO R-1234ze refrigerant with a GWP of less than 1.
Through proactive service and maintenance, efficient asset management and a strong focus on reducing operational expenditure, Carrier is maintaining London Gatwick’s cooling network and supporting the airport with its Decade of Change targets.
Since 2021, the F-Gas loss has reduced by more than half, helping to reduce the impact on the environment and enable the systems to run more efficiently. The next phase is to support Gatwick towards meeting its 2030 decarbonisation goals of achieving net zero for Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions and sourcing 50% of electricity and heat from UK renewable sources.
Carrier will continue to offer support and guidance, not just on new equipment, but also sustainable HVAC solutions tailored to the airport’s evolving needs.