The Brexit vote means it is now “clearer than ever” that only Gatwick can deliver the runway capacity the UK urgently requires, the boss of the airport claims.
The UK cannot afford yet more delay on airport expansion and only Gatwick can provide certainty of delivery, according to chief executive Stewart Wingate.
He was speaking to business leaders after transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin at the National Infrastructure Forum annual conference.
Gatwick recently made pledges and guarantees to the government setting out an accelerated delivery programme for a new runway by 2025 which would enable construction to start before the 2020 election.
“It is now clearer than ever that only Gatwick can deliver the new runway Britain needs, to provide the direct connections to North America, South America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia that we all want, because only Gatwick can balance the economy and the environment,” Wingate said.
“In these uncertain times that means Gatwick can give the country certainty of delivery. And Britain cannot afford yet more delay.
“We have pledged we can deliver by 2025, at a cost that everyone can afford, without public subsidy and at a fraction of the environmental impact of Heathrow. None of that has changed.
“Momentum has been growing behind Gatwick over recent years. The time has now come for everyone to get behind a new runway so the country can get the economic boost that is more important than ever. And that can only mean Gatwick.”