Gatwick announces plans to bring its existing Northern Runway into routine use

31st August 2021

Gatwick has announced that a twelve-week public consultation on the Northern Runway plans will run from 9th September 2021 to 1st December 2021. 

The plans, to bring the existing Northern Runway into routine use alongside the Main Runway, are a low impact way of unlocking new capacity using existing runway infrastructure.  The scheme will help secure the airports long-term growth, generating approximately 18,400 additional jobs by 2038 and an additional expected £1.5bn GVA to the region.  While passenger numbers currently remain low due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Gatwick is taking its plans for growth forward now as we still expect to be capacity constrained in the time it would take to secure approvals, complete construction and start operations.  The plans would add resilience to Gatwick’s operations (reducing delays and congestion), bring new global connections and allow an increase in passenger capacity to approximately 75 million passengers per annum by 2038. 

The project proposals are low impact and are in line with Government policy of making best use of existing runways.  The project will be delivered in a sustainable way which helps to achieve the Government’s overall goal of net zero emissions by 2050.

As the proposed Northern Runway plans are considered a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project, the airport plans to apply for a Development Consent Order (DCO) to build and operate the scheme.  The Statement of Community Consultation (setting out how Gatwick proposes to consult the local community on the proposed Northern Runway project) has been published today at www.gatwickairport.com/futureplans.