Ms Alexander said her job as the “decision maker” on airport expansion is to “strike a balance” between the potential benefits of jobs, trade and tourism, with “tough questions”, such as whether the schemes will be compatible with the UK’s climate and air quality obligations, whether noise can be minimised and whether costs will be “shared fairly”.
“We are already contributing over £5.5 billion to the UK economy and supporting over 76,000 jobs, but unless we can access greater airport capacity the UK will miss out on opportunities to enhance global connectivity and unlock further opportunities for trade, tourism and job creation.”.
Gatwick’s £2.2 billion privately financed project would see it move the emergency runway 12 metres north, enabling it to be used for departures of narrow-bodied planes such as Airbus A320s and Boeing 737s.
She has a deadline of the end of the day to decide whether to approve a development consent order application by the West Sussex airport to bring its emergency runway into routine use.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander will announce on Thursday whether Gatwick’s expansion plan can go ahead.
