Gatwick Airport's second runway development is set to commence after the Court of Appeal upheld a previous ruling that the plans could proceed. The £2.2 billion expansion, approved by Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander in September, involves moving the emergency runway 12 metres north to accommodate around 100,000 additional flights annually.
Project Details and Timeline
The project will enable the runway to handle departures of narrow-bodied aircraft such as Airbus A320s and Boeing 737s. First flights from the new runway are expected by 2030. Gatwick is the UK's second busiest airport and among the world's busiest single-runway airports.
On Tuesday, the Court of Appeal dismissed an attempt by campaigners to challenge a High Court ruling from June that allowed the scheme to proceed. Mrs Alexander described the decision as a "major milestone for Gatwick and for local communities," stating it would create thousands of new jobs.
Official Reactions
She added: "Around 13 million more passengers and 100,000 more flights will give holidaymakers greater choice and strengthen global links to help make the UK one of the most attractive places in the world to invest." She also noted the government's investment of over £219 million in green fuel production to reduce aviation emissions.
Pierre-Hugues Schmit, Gatwick's chief executive, said the ruling "brings to an end an eight-year planning and legal process which has carefully tested and scrutinised every aspect of our expansion plans on multiple occasions." He expressed readiness to move into the design and delivery phase.
Economic and Operational Impact
Gatwick has previously stated the privately funded scheme is "shovel-ready" and would deliver a £1 billion annual boost to the economy. The airport expects "little disruption" to operations during construction since the runway already exists.
Campaigner Peter Barclay and the group Communities Against Gatwick Noise Emissions (Cagne) had taken legal action against the Department for Transport, arguing the government failed to properly assess the climate impact. However, Mr Justice Mould ruled in June that it was "neither illogical nor contradictory" for Mrs Alexander not to refuse the development on climate grounds. He also rejected arguments about the need for expansion given Heathrow's proximity.
Following the Court of Appeal's dismissal, Cagne said it would "continue holding Gatwick to account," expressing disappointment at the government's approach to airport expansion.
