Gatwick airport likely to have two runways in future

Tuesday, August 31, 2021

Gatwick recently announced that a public consultation regarding plans to bring the northern runway into routine use alongside its main runway is set to begin on September.  The airport said the scheme would help secure its long-term growth, generating approximately 18,400 additional jobs by 2038 and an additional expected £1.5 billion gross value added to the region. 

The plans would allow the airport’s northern runway to be brought into routine use, for departing aircraft, by repositioning its centre line further north by 12 metres. This would enable dual runway operations with the airport’s main runway while meeting all international safety standards.

The plans would add resilience to Gatwick’s operations (reducing delays and congestion), bring new global connections and allow an increase in passenger capacity to approximately 75 million passengers per annum by 2038. Other elements of the proposals include improved airport access, highway improvements, as well as additional landscape/ecological planting and environmental mitigation.

The project proposals are low impact and are in line with government policy of making best use of existing runways.  As the proposed northern runway plans are considered a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project, the airport plans to apply for a Development Consent Order (DCO) to build and operate the scheme.  Before the application is submitted Gatwick will be running a twelve-week public consultation, for anyone who is interested in reviewing or commenting on the proposals. 

Stewart Wingate, Chief Executive, Gatwick Airport said in a statement that while the airline is currently experiencing low passenger and air traffic volumes due to the global pandemic, it is confident that Gatwick will not only fully recover to previous passenger levels but has the potential to continue to grow back into one of Europe’s premier airports. 

He said that Gatwick’s plan to bring the existing northern runway into routine use will not only help to secure that growth but will also ensure many thousands of additional jobs and a vital boost to the economy for local region. He mentioned that the airport is looking forward to hear views from local people and interested groups on the proposed northern runway project as part of comprehensive public consultation process and encourage everyone to take time to review the plans.

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