Gatwick airport to open second runway after legal challenge fails

Gatwick Airport plans to construct a second runway after campaigners lost a legal challenge to the project. The £2.2bn expansion, approved by Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander, will enable approximately 100,000 additional flights per year at Britain's second busiest airport. The High Court previously ruled that the scheme could proceed, dismissing a legal bid by local campaign groups.

Gatwick CEO Pierre-Hugues Schmit expressed relief at the court of appeal's decision to dismiss the challenge, stating that it concludes a long and thorough planning and legal process. The airport, currently among the busiest single-runway airports in the world, aims to have the second runway operational by 2030. The government hailed the court ruling as a significant milestone for Gatwick and local communities.

The expansion is expected to bring around 13 million more passengers and 100,000 more flights annually, benefiting holidaymakers and enhancing global connections to the UK. Gatwick plans to invest over £219 million in green fuel production to reduce aviation emissions and support the future of aviation. However, some campaigners, like Peter Barclay, the chair of Gatwick Area Conservation Campaign, expressed disappointment with the ruling.

They argued that approving airport expansions would not boost the economy and would instead perpetuate aviation's climate, noise, and air pollution impacts, contributing to congestion and blighting local communities. Meanwhile, Luton Airport's council-owned company, Luton Rising, announced that it had cleared all legal challenges to its expansion plans.

The company expects the project to create up to 11,000 new jobs and generate an additional £1.5bn in annual economic activity. Luton Rising pledged strict controls on noise, carbon emissions, air quality, and surface access to the airport.