90,000 more flights could depart from Gatwick if airport gets its way
Written by News on 15/09/2019
An extra 90,000 flights could depart from Gatwick Airport by 2038 if current proposals go ahead, a new report claims.
Proposals to bring the airport’s emergency runway into regular use could see a further 28 million passengers at Gatwick each year.
Gatwick’s emergency runway is currently only in use when the main runway is closed.
The UK’s second-busiest airport is preparing a planning application which would make the altered runway fully operational by 2026.
A restriction had historically been placed on the airport to stop it from using the northern airstrip at the same time as the main runway, but this expired last month.
A scoping report submitted to the planning inspectorate revealed the airport also plans to extend its north and south terminals and build three new hotels – two of which will have up to 400 rooms.
The alterations could increase the airport’s capacity to 74 million passengers a year by 2038, compared to the 46 million who used it in 2018.
Flights are expected to increase from 284,000 in 2018 to 373,800 over the next two decades.
The hotels would not be completed until 2032 and the terminal extensions would likely happen between 2025 and 2029.
There is a need for more airport capacity in the South East, although Gatwick lost out to Heathrow when it applied for government approval to build an extra runway.
Gatwick says the plans are a “direct response” to the government’s policy of making the best use of existing runways.
Local campaign group Communities Against Gatwick Noise Emissions previously warned the proposal could lead to “a second runway by stealth” and branded the airport “the neighbour from hell”.
The airport says environmental effects would need to be assessed as part of any planning application made.
Gatwick must now follow a process to gain planning permission which will culminate in a final decision by the transport secretary.
(c) Sky News 2019: 90,000 more flights could depart from Gatwick if airport gets its way
