Gatwick airport expansion set to allow 100,000 more flights a year

Gatwick airport is set to increase its capacity by around 100,000 flights a year after campaigners lost their final legal battle against plans to bring the airport’s emergency runway into regular use. 

The £2.2 billion northern runway project will allow the UK’s second busiest airport to operate two runways for departures, increasing the number of flights it can handle each year.

This means the project does not involve building a completely new runway, but rather adapting Gatwick’s existing northern runway so it can be used alongside the main runway. 

The project was approved by the government and is set to "accommodate up to 80 million passengers per annum”.

The changes include moving the northern runway 12m north to allow aircraft to use both runways independently.

For passengers travelling between France and the UK, the expansion could eventually create opportunities for additional flights from Gatwick. The airport is already an important hub for UK - France travel, with services to several French destinations including Paris, Nice, Lyon and Bordeaux.

However, it is not yet known whether the additional capacity created by the expansion will lead to more flights between Gatwick and France.

The end of a legal challenge

The expansion plans had previously been challenged by Peter Barclay and the campaign group Communities Against Gatwick Noise Emissions (CAGNE), who argued that the UK government had not properly assessed the climate impact of allowing more flights.

The campaigners also questioned whether expanding Gatwick was necessary given the airport’s proximity to Heathrow.

However, the High Court rejected their challenge. The campaigners then asked the Court of Appeal for permission to continue their legal fight, but two senior judges dismissed the appeal, ruling that the arguments did not have a realistic prospect of success.

According to the BBC, Mr Barclay said campaigners were “very disappointed” by the decision, adding that they believed the approval of the expansion was “fundamentally flawed.” He said the project would benefit the airport and airlines at the expense of local residents and the climate.

Airport welcomes decision

Gatwick Airport meanwhile welcomed the court ruling, saying it marked the end of an eight-year planning and legal process and allowed the airport to move into the design and delivery phase.

The airport says the Northern Runway project will create around 14,000 new jobs and provide a £1 billion annual boost to the economy. 

The expanded operation will mainly allow departures by narrow-bodied aircraft such as Airbus A320s and Boeing 737s.