Take off for Gatwick expansion

The £2.2bn privately financed project involves bringing the Northern Runway, currently only used in emergencies, into regular use and will increase the airport’s overall capacity, enabling 100,000 extra flights a year. Senior Policy Manager Alexandra Herdman explains why it will help drive growth across the economy:

“Almost two thirds of the UK’s air cargo moves in passenger aircraft, sitting underneath seats in the bellyhold, and can make the difference between a profitable and a non-profitable route for a passenger airline. This type of freight also tends to be high-value, time-sensitive goods such as manufacturing components and pharmaceuticals so is essential to keep the UK trading and supply chains moving.

“By increasing passenger services, it is highly likely this will also provide increased air cargo, with some reports suggesting air cargo tonnage could double, helping address the significant shortage of air cargo capacity in the southeast and boosting the economy by making international connections for UK businesses even easier.

“Gatwick is currently the busiest single runway airport in Europe, so modifying the existing standby runway to develop a fully operational second runway is a practical and efficient way to increase capacity.”