Around 630 new jobs for local construction workers will be created by Gatwick if plans to bring its northern runway into routine use are given the go-ahead.
The airport is preparing a planning application to bring it into regular use for departures alongside the main runway.
Work could start in 2025 with the runway operational by the end of the decade, subject to planning approval.
Gatwick claims the “low-impact plan” will improve resilience, reduce delays, and boost the regional economy by supporting trade, tourism and new jobs.
Almost 1,400 construction jobs would be created nationally at the peak of developing the northern runway.
The majority of the local construction workers would be sourced from local authority areas in the airport’s immediate vicinity, including Reigate and Banstead, Crawley and Mid Sussex, with others across the wider region, in areas like Sutton, Mole Valley and Bromley, also benefiting.
The jobs will include professional level management roles as well as engineers, plant operators, ground workers, concrete placing specialists, steel erectors, cladding and glaziers, building management system and fit out specialists.
The roles would be split across all aspects of the northern runway project, including taxiway alterations, terminal building work, car parks and highway projects.
Chief technical officer Cedric Laurier said: “The opportunities presented for local employment through Gatwick’s northern runway project are incredibly exciting for the region.
“To offer up to 1,400 new jobs in construction alone – with a significant proportion of these estimated to be using the local workforce – is great news. These new jobs will not only benefit workers now, but also our future workforce who are still in school or college.”