Is There a Smoking Area in Gatwick Airport? Complete Guide

Gatwick Airport's No Smoking Policy: The Basics

Gatwick enforces a strict no smoking policy inside every part of the terminal building. This includes:

• Check-in halls
• Departure and arrivals lounges
• Security search areas
• Airside shops, restaurants and cafes
• Gate areas
• Toilets
• Car parks and multi-storey structures
• Covered walkways and bridges connecting terminals to car parks

Smoking is only permitted in the airport's designated outdoor smoking shelters. These are clearly signed and fitted with smoking bins for safe cigarette disposal. Staff and security regularly patrol the terminals, and smoking outside a designated area can result in a fine, since it's a criminal offence under UK smoke-free legislation to smoke in a smoke-free workplace or public building.

This isn't unique to Gatwick. Every major UK airport, including Heathrow, Stansted and Luton, follows the same smoke-free legislation. What varies from airport to airport is where the outdoor smoking shelters are placed and how far they are from the terminal entrance.

Smoke-Free Policy

UK smoke-free legislation applies across all Gatwick terminals

Smoking Area in Gatwick South Terminal

The South Terminal is Gatwick's larger terminal and handles the majority of long-haul and charter flights. If you're asking specifically about the Gatwick smoking area South Terminal, here's what you need to know.

Before security: There's a designated outdoor smoking area located near the main terminal entrance, in the landside forecourt zone. You'll need to walk outside the terminal building itself, past the main doors, to reach it. It's a short walk and clearly signposted with "Smoking Area" signage and a covered shelter.

After security (airside): Historically, Gatwick has operated smoking areas airside as well, though these have been reduced over recent years in line with wider airport policy changes across the UK. Facilities airside can change with terminal refurbishments, so if smoking after security matters to you, it's worth checking the airport's live terminal maps or asking a member of staff once you're through security, since layouts are updated more frequently than most guides can keep pace with.

If you're travelling with family or a larger group and someone needs a cigarette break before departure, it's worth building this into your arrival time. Groups travelling together often find a spacious MPV vehicle useful for this exact reason, since it means everyone arrives together with enough time built in for a smoke break, a coffee, and a relaxed walk to check-in rather than a sprint.

Smoking Area in Gatwick North Terminal

The North Terminal mainly serves short-haul European flights and a large share of easyJet's operations. The Gatwick smoking area North Terminal follows a similar pattern to the South Terminal.

Before security: A designated outdoor smoking shelter sits landside, close to the terminal's main entrance. Like the South Terminal, you'll need to exit the building to use it, which means passing back through security screening if you want to return airside afterwards.

After security: Airside smoking provision at the North Terminal has also reduced over time, and current availability should be confirmed via terminal signage on the day, since airport facilities are updated more often than published guides.

One detail passengers often overlook: if you leave the secure zone to smoke after already clearing security, you will need to go through security screening again to get back airside. This takes time, particularly during busy periods, so factor in at least 20 to 30 minutes for a smoke break that involves re-clearing security.

North Terminal vs South Terminal Smoking Facilities: Quick Comparison

Can You Vape at Gatwick Airport?

Vaping falls under the same rules as smoking cigarettes at Gatwick. You cannot vape anywhere inside the terminal buildings, including toilets, lounges, shops or gate areas. E-cigarettes and vape devices must only be used in the same designated outdoor smoking areas used for traditional cigarettes.

This surprises some travellers who assume vaping is treated differently because there's no combustion or ash involved. In practice, UK airports treat e-cigarettes the same as tobacco products for the purposes of the no smoking policy, largely because vapour can still trigger smoke alarms and disturb other passengers in enclosed spaces.

Carrying Vapes and E-Cigarettes Through Security

If you're travelling with a vape device, keep the following in mind:

• Vape batteries must be carried in hand luggage, never in checked luggage, due to lithium battery fire risk.
• E-liquid bottles are subject to the same 100ml liquid restriction as other liquids in hand luggage.
• Spare batteries should be protected from short-circuiting, ideally in a case or with terminals covered.
• Disposable vapes follow the same battery rules as rechargeable devices.

Nicotine Products and Smoke-Free Zones Explained

Gatwick's approach to nicotine products goes beyond just cigarettes and vapes. Nicotine pouches and oral tobacco products aren't subject to the same smoke-free legislation since they don't produce smoke or vapour, so they can generally be used anywhere, including inside the terminal. However, this comes down to general courtesy and airline-specific guidance rather than a published airport rule, so it's worth checking current signage if you're unsure.

The purpose of a smoke-free zone is to protect people from secondhand smoke exposure in enclosed public spaces. This is the same principle behind the UK's wider smoke-free legislation introduced in 2007, which Gatwick, as with all UK airports, is legally required to follow.

What Happens If You Smoke Outside a Designated Area?

Smoking outside a designated smoking area at Gatwick is treated as a breach of UK smoke-free legislation. Consequences can include:

• A verbal warning from airport security or staff
• A fixed penalty notice or fine
• In persistent cases, removal from the terminal by security

Smoke detectors are fitted throughout Gatwick's terminal buildings, including in toilets, which are a common place passengers mistakenly try to smoke or vape. Triggering a false alarm can lead to a terminal evacuation, flight delays for hundreds of passengers, and potential liability for the person responsible. This is one of the most overlooked risks of ignoring the no smoking policy: it isn't just a personal fine, it can disrupt an entire terminal's operations.

Common Mistakes Smokers Make at Gatwick

• Not allowing time to re-clear security. Leaving to smoke after going airside means queuing through security again, which can take 20 minutes or more at peak times.
• Assuming vaping is exempt from smoking rules. It isn't. Vapes follow the exact same restrictions as cigarettes.
• Trying to smoke in outdoor but covered walkways. Covered bridges and canopied walkways between the terminal and car parks are still considered enclosed spaces under the law and are non-smoking.
• Leaving it too late before boarding. Smoking shelters landside require exiting the terminal, which isn't always practical once you're already through security and close to boarding.
• Not checking current terminal layouts. Gatwick periodically updates terminal facilities, so a smoking area used on a previous trip may have moved or closed.

Avoid These

Common errors smokers make at Gatwick Airport

Expert Tips for Smokers Flying From Gatwick

• Have your last cigarette before joining the security queue if airside smoking provision isn't guaranteed on the day.
• Build at least 15 extra minutes into your airport arrival time if you know you'll want a smoke break before check-in.
• Check current terminal maps on Gatwick's official website close to your travel date, since facilities can change.
• If flying with nicotine replacement products like patches or gum instead, these can be used freely inside the terminal since they don't fall under smoke-free legislation.
• For connecting or transit passengers, be aware that once airside, leaving the secure zone to smoke means a full security recheck, which can be time-consuming during peak departure windows.

Getting to Gatwick With Time for a Smoke Break

If a pre-flight cigarette or vape is part of your routine, the biggest practical factor isn't the airport itself, it's your arrival time. Traffic on the M23 or delays on rail links into Gatwick can eat into the buffer you were counting on for a smoke break before check-in.

Booking ahead with a dependable taxi service takes that uncertainty out of the equation, since a pre-booked pickup time means you know exactly when you'll arrive rather than relying on peak-time traffic estimates. For business travellers who want a smooth, unhurried start to the journey, an executive taxi also means arriving relaxed rather than rushed, with enough time to step outside for a cigarette before heading to check-in.

Families or larger groups travelling together sometimes need more than a standard car, particularly with luggage for a longer trip. A minibus keeps everyone together and arriving at the same time, which matters if only one or two members of the group need a smoke break and the rest want to head straight to check-in. Whatever the group size, choosing from our full range of vehicles means you can match the car to the trip rather than the other way round, and a straightforward standard taxi is often all that's needed for a solo traveller or couple heading to either terminal.

Gatwick Airport Smoking Area Questions People Really Ask

The Short Version of Smoking at Gatwick Airport

Gatwick Airport operates a strict no smoking policy inside every part of the terminal building, in line with UK smoke-free legislation. Designated outdoor smoking shelters are available landside near the main entrances of both the North and South Terminals. Vaping follows the same rules as traditional cigarettes.

If you're already airside and leave the secure zone to smoke, you'll need to go through security again, so factor in at least 20 to 30 minutes. Nicotine pouches, gum and patches can generally be used inside the terminal since they don't produce smoke or vapour.

If a pre-flight smoke break is part of your routine, the best thing you can do is plan your arrival time with enough buffer. A pre-booked Taxi Service removes the uncertainty of traffic and public transport, so you arrive at Gatwick with time to spare rather than rushing straight to security.