Need to know
Gatwick Airport plans to bring its standby runway into routine use, boosting Gatwick passenger capacity from 43 million to 75 million and increasing flights to 386,000 per year
Need to know: Gatwick Airport set for major expansion with emergency runway conversion
- Gatwick Airport is planning a major expansion that will bring its emergency runway into routine use as part of a £2.2 billion project.
- The UK’s second busiest airport wants to convert its standby runway, which is currently used mainly for aircraft taxiing and emergencies. To meet aviation safety rules, the runway must be moved 12 metres north away from the main runway.
- The expansion will also involve remodelling taxiways, extending both terminals and installing new aircraft gates. Gatwick says it would pay for enhanced road connections to both terminals, creating fly-overs to separate local traffic from airport vehicles.
- The converted runway would handle departures of narrow-bodied planes such as Airbus A320s and Boeing 737s. This would enable the airport to handle about 386,000 flights per year, around 100,000 more than current levels.
- Annual passenger numbers could rise from about 43 million to 75 million by the late 2030s. The airport says the project will be privately financed and has pledged to meet the cost without hiking charges to airlines.
- It is hoped flights will take off from the new runway before 2029, with Gatwick determined to boost capacity ahead of Heathrow’s third runway plans.
- The Government unveiled earlier in June its blueprint for a third runway at Heathrow, stressing that the airport’s expansion is “critical” for national growth.
- The airport’s owners – Heathrow Airport Limited (HAL) – are seeking permission to construct a full-length, 3,500-metre runway, a project that would necessitate the relocation of the M25 motorway. Hotel tycoon Surinder Arora, meanwhile, wants his company to build a 2,800-metre runway, which would not require moving the motorway.
- The plans would see Heathrow’s capacity rise to 756,000 flights and 150 million passengers per year.
READ MORE: Life in the shadow of Gatwick Airport where residents are divided over expansion plans
