London Gatwick Airport (LGW)

Gatwick is a strict no-smoking airport once you pass through security. There are zero airside smoking or vaping facilities in either the North or South Terminal, so your last cigarette or vape must happen outside the building, before you join the security queue. One traveller report from January 2024 mentioned that the My Lounge in the South Terminal previously had an outdoor smoking terrace past security, but a separate report from June 2022 stated that area had closed. The current consensus across multiple sources is that no airside option reliably exists.

Before Security

Both terminals have clearly signposted designated outdoor smoking zones on the departures forecourt, outside the main entrance doors.

• North Terminal: The outdoor smoking zone is on the arrivals/departures level forecourt, close to the main entrance. It tends to get busy, but it is easy to find and quick to return from before heading to check-in. Look for the purple "Smoking area" signs with cigarette bin stands.

• South Terminal: The designated zone is on the ground-level lower forecourt, outside the main entrance doors. Multiple sources note it is a good few minutes' walk from the terminal interior, reportedly near the car park side, so factor in extra time if you are cutting it close.

Do not smoke immediately outside the automatic doors at either terminal. You must move to the specific marked zones to avoid smoke drifting inside, and to stay within the rules.

After Security

There are no smoking or vaping areas airside at Gatwick. This applies to all areas past the security search point: departure lounges, restaurants, bars, premium airline lounges (including No1 Lounge and the Clubrooms), and all boarding gate areas. One crowdsourced tip on InDepartures noted the My Lounge South Terminal had a smoking terrace as recently as January 2024, but this conflicts with an earlier 2022 report of its closure, and the official airport position and all major sources confirm no airside smoking exists. Treat airside as completely smoke-free.

Vaping Rules

Gatwick treats e-cigarettes, personal vaporisers, and heat-not-burn devices exactly the same as traditional cigarettes. You cannot vape inside the terminal, in the toilets, or anywhere airside. Airport toilets are fitted with sensitive vapour detectors, and triggering one can cause an evacuation and potential police involvement. You may carry your device and e-liquids (under 100ml, in your clear liquids bag) through security, but the device must stay unused until you reach your destination.

Note: single-use disposable vapes have been illegal to sell in the UK since 1 June 2025. Travel with a rechargeable, refillable device.

Transit and Layovers

If you are connecting through Gatwick and staying in the airside flight connections area, you will have no access to a smoking area for the duration of your layover. To smoke, you would need to clear UK immigration, exit to the forecourt, and then re-queue for security, a process that can take 45 minutes to over 2 hours depending on queue lengths. For connections under 3 hours, this is not realistic.

Bottom Line

Smoke outside before you enter the terminal building, because once you are through security at Gatwick, there is nowhere to go. Plan to arrive with enough buffer time to use the forecourt smoking zone before check-in.