The UK Government has won a legal challenge over plans for a second runway at Gatwick Airport, paving the way for a £2.2 billion upgrade that will enable 100,000 additional flights annually.
Court ruling
On Tuesday, August 4, campaigners lost a bid to escalate the legal fight to the Court of Appeal. They had argued that the Government did not properly assess the climate impact of an additional runway. Lord Justice Holgate and Lord Justice Dove dismissed the bids, stating: "We conclude that each of the grounds of appeal raised by each appellant is unarguable. Neither appeal has a real prospect of success. We also consider that there are no other compelling reasons for either appeal to be heard."
Expansion details
The airport expansion, approved in September, will cost £2.2 billion and involve moving the airport's emergency runway 12 metres north. The new runway is set to start being used by the end of the decade, and the Government said it will create job opportunities.
Gatwick is the second busiest airport in the UK and has one of the busiest runways in the world. The expansion will enable the hub to host an extra 100,000 flights annually.
Economic benefits
The Government wrote in a statement on Tuesday that the 100,000 additional flights each year will "massively" expand on the more than 200 destinations currently offered, giving passengers "more choice and boosting competition to drive down fares". It also said that the expansion will "create 14,000 new jobs across the region and deliver an additional £1 billion in economic benefits per year, helping to drive growth across the South East and beyond through Gatwick's national supply chain".
