Gatwick airport expansion which could see 100,000 more flights ‘set to go ahead’

London Gatwick Airport expansion was given a green light today which will boost capacity by 30 million more passengers a year. The UK’s second-biggest airport welcomed a decision from the Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander this morning to bring its emergency runway into permanent use.

Alexander announced her ‘minded to approve’ decision on Gatwick’s planning application that will add 100,000 more departure flights from the West Sussex airfield. Work could start soon on the £2,200,000,000 project that will see the emergency runway moved 39 feet further north so that the main airstrip and the emergency runway can be used at the same time.

However, the final approval has been postponed until October 27 after the Planning Inspectorate recommended extra controls and noise mitigation measures which have to be considered. Both Gatwick terminals would also be revamped and existing taxiways remodelled.

Nearby roads to its two terminals would be enhanced with fly-overs to separate local traffic from vehicles heading to and from the airport. Meanwhile, the Gatwick train station’s £250,000,000 upgrade was completed in November 2023. The expansion would boost Gatwick’s annual passenger numbers from 45 million to 75 million.

Similar to the controversial Heathrow expansion, money for the project would come from private investment without the use of taxpayer money, Gatwick said. It has pledged to get funding without raising charges that airlines have to pay. Construction could start this year, with flights ready to depart by the end of the decade, Gatwick Airport said, adding that the project is ‘shovel ready.’.

However, before construction can begin, further details need to be ironed out. For the first time, the Planning Inspectorate recommended that Alexander should approve the project if Gatwick makes adjustments on issues such as the number of passengers travelling to and from the airport by public transport and noise mitigation.

The Transport Secretary said the final decision will be made on October 27 to give more time to consider the ‘range of controls on the operation of the scheme.’. A government source said Alexander has ‘set out a path to approving’ the expansion, suggesting that it will be given a go-ahead.

Sally Pavey, a chair with the Communities Against Gatwick Noise Emissions (CAGNE) residents’ group, said they are ‘relieved’ and that they saw the minded to approve status as a ‘deferral.’. Gatwick was helping to ‘export sterling’ out of the UK instead of supporting the domestic economy, Pavey told Metro.

She said Gatwick should be ‘made to pay for the ramifications’ such as noise and impact on local roads that are ‘crumbling because they are taking the Gatwick traffic now.’ The group would also like to see a ‘carbon pact’ and an onsite wastewater treatment plant at the airport.

‘There are so many things that need to be finalised before Gatwick can be allowed to have it,’ she said, adding that the group’s legal team has sent a letter to Alexander and they are prepared to launch a legal challenge to the plan. ‘We are not NIMBYs or eco-warriors. We are concerned communities and we live here day and night. We know the ramifications of Gatwick and we know how it is affecting the infrastructure and air quality now,’ she added.

Stewart Wingate, Gatwick’s CEO, said he welcomed the update from the government and the ‘clear pathway to full approval later in the year.’. He said: ‘It is vital that any planning conditions attached to the final approval enable us to make a decision to invest £2.2bn in this project and realise the full benefits of bringing the Northern Runway into routine use.

‘We will of course engage fully in the extended process for a final decision.’. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk. For more stories like this, check our news page. Arrow MORE: I can’t get this stunning Ganni-inspired M&S dress out of my head.

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