UK Government Backs Second Gatwick Runway

London Gatwick’s plans to upgrade its northern taxiway to become the airport’s second runway have received conditional government approval.

UK secretary of state for transport Heidi Alexander said Feb. 27 that she was “minded to approve” the plan. This is the standard form of words used by the UK government when approaching a decision and usually results in a project going ahead, unless unforeseen circumstances derail it.

The conditional approval “provides some additional time to seek views from all parties on the provisions, prior to a final decision,” Alexander said. The deadline for that decision is Oct. 27.

Gatwick vies with Mumbai, India, as the world’s busiest single-runway airport, handling around 44 million passengers a year. At present, Gatwick’s North Taxiway, parallel to the main runway, can act as a temporary relief runway in the event of the main landing strip being unavailable. The airport has long wanted to upgrade the taxiway to full runway status.

This will include moving the taxiway around 12 m (39.4 feet) further away from the main runway, a project that—together with ancillary work—will cost around £2.2 billion ($2.8 billion).

“We welcome today’s announcement that the Secretary of State for Transport is minded to approve our Northern Runway plans and has outlined a clear pathway to full approval later in the year,” Gatwick CEO Stewart Wingate said. “It is vital that any planning conditions attached to the final approval enable us to make a decision to invest £2.2 billion in this project and realize the full benefits of bringing the Northern Runway into routine use.

Wingate said the airport is ready to deliver the project which is expected to create 14,000 jobs and generate £1 billion a year in economic benefits. “By increasing resilience and capacity we can support the UK’s position as a leader in global connectivity and deliver substantial trade and economic growth in the South East [of England] and more broadly,” he added. “We have also outlined to government how we plan to grow responsibly to meet increasing passenger demand, while minimizing noise and environmental impacts.”

The Gatwick development came on the heels of an unusually supportive speech on commercial aviation from Alexander.

“We know demand for air travel is only going in one direction,” Alexander told the Airlines UK annual dinner on the evening of Feb. 26. “Record-breaking stats from the Civil Aviation Authority [CAA] last week confirm passenger levels were 7% higher in 2024 than the previous year. Demand is up—and if we don’t meet it, then we will lose out to our European competitors and risk being on the wrong side of public aspirations.”

Alexander noted that the UK government had already approved London City Airport’s plans to expand to 9 million passengers per year by 2031; welcomed London Stansted’s additional £1.1 billion investment to extend its terminal; and lent its support to London Heathrow’s hugely delayed third runway plans.

Alexander cautioned that airport expansion must meet environmental and wider economic benefit criteria.

However, she said, “Right across the board, it’s clear, we’re choosing growth. For us here tonight, that means running hell for leather towards greener and quieter flights. Stand still and we risk making ourselves poorer in every way. I, therefore, see both decarbonization and modernization, above all, as a moral mission.”

Alexander emphasized that she has no intention of clipping anyone’s wings.

“I am not some sort of flight-shaming eco-warrior. I love flying—I always have. For me, there is something intrinsically optimistic about taking to the sky,” she said. “I believe it is incumbent on all those in public life to give businesses the tools for success and increase opportunities for people to improve their lot. That means more passengers and freight in the air, not less.”