Heidi Alexander approves expansion to allow 100,000 more flights a year
Gatwick airport’s £2.2bn second runway plan has been given the go-ahead by the transport secretary, Heidi Alexander.
With the privately financed project, the West Sussex hub is aiming to increase its capacity by 100,000 flights a year.
Gatwick will move its emergency runway 12 metres north, enabling it to be used for departures of narrow-bodied planes such as Airbus A320s and Boeing 737s.
The new runway is expected to add 14,000 jobs and as much as £1bn in extra economic activity.
