Gatwick to Proceed With Second Runway After Court Dismisses Challenge

The £2.2bn project, approved by Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander in September, will enable about 100,000 more flights a year at Britain's second-busiest airport. Chief Executive Pierre-Hugues Schmit said the ruling ends an eight-year planning and legal process that scrutinised the expansion plans. The airport will reposition its emergency runway for routine short-haul use, aiming for operation by 2030. Alexander said the expansion will give holidaymakers more choice and strengthen global links, while the government invests over £219m in green fuel production.

Campaigner Peter Barclay of the Gatwick Area Conservation Campaign expressed disappointment, arguing airport expansion locks in climate, noise and pollution impacts. Separately, Luton Rising confirmed all legal challenges to its expansion plans are cleared, with the Supreme Court dismissing final appeals. That project will raise annual capacity from 19 million to 32 million passengers by the mid-2040s, creating up to 11,000 jobs and £1.5bn in annual economic activity.