Gatwick has submitted a planning application to bring its existing northern runway into daily use alongside its main runway in an effort to expand to serving 75 million passengers a year.
The airport handled just under 47 million passengers in 2019 and 33 million last year. The airport’s northern runway is currently used only as a taxiway and in emergencies.
Gatwick bosses argue utilising the second runway for departing flights would create 14,000 jobs and generate £1 billion a year for the local economy.
They have pledged to make “significant commitments” to local communities including “legally binding agreements to control noise and reduce carbon emissions”.
Gatwick chief executive Stewart Wingate said: “The northern runway plan will help secure the long-term future of the airport and economic prosperity for thousands of families, businesses, and future generations across the region.
“If approved, our plan will improve airport resilience, meet future passenger demand, and increase competition in the London airport market.”
The airport submitted a Development Consent Order (DCO) application to the Planning Inspectorate (PINS) today outlining its ambition to bring the airport’s existing northern runway into use.
Gatwick has been consulting on the plans for two years after losing out in the battle with Heathrow to be the site of a new runway for London – although Heathrow’s third runway plans remain in suspension.
Wingate said: “The consultation and engagement activity over the past two years has been hugely valuable in shaping our plans. We’re confident our plans are economically and environmentally robust.”
The airport claims “significant support” from residents across Sussex, Surrey and Kent after a YouGov poll of more than 3,000 adults found 78% “who expressed an opinion” supported Gatwick’s plans, with 22% opposed.
The expansion plans would see more than 3,000 new jobs at the airport and 2,000 at suppliers to airport businesses.
The remaining 9,000 jobs forecast to be created would be generated indirectly.
The plans include a commitment to reduce the noise within a ‘noise envelope’ around the airport from 2019 levels within nine years of northern runway operations beginning.
The airport would also extend a noise insulation scheme from the current 2,000 homes to 4,300.
Gatwick also submitted a Carbon Action Plan as part of the application, highlighting its recent decision to invest £250 million to accelerate its plan to be net zero for Scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions by 2030.
The plans would see the centre of the northern runway repositioned to allow dual runway operations and the runway used solely for departing flights.
Gatwick hopes to start construction in 2025 and have the runway ready to operate by the end of the decade.