London Gatwick is continuing to move ahead with plans to expand its northern runway.
Such a decision has seen planning permission be applied before that if approved, would increase annual passenger capacity by 60%.
A £2.2 billion project would help propel London Gatwick to be a leading airport in the United Kingdom and wider Europe. Seventy-five million passengers will be able to pass through the airport by the end of the 2030s. This is a substantial increase from numbers in 2019 that sat at 47 million.
If planning permission is approved, London Gatwick says their plan will be resilient and help them meet all future passenger demand while increasing competition in the London market, an important part of their future.
Of course, any changes being made to the airport will always be hugely criticised because of the environmental impact. As such, the airport must carefully navigate the question and marks its faces.
What would change? The current backup runway would move 12 metres to the north if approved. Moving the runway would mean it could be utilised simultaneously with the existing main runway—a huge boost for the airport.
Fellow London airport, Heathrow, is also eyeing an expansion. However, this has been in the making for a considerable period, and continued backlash makes it harder than imagined for the airport to move ahead with its third runway plans.
