15 OCTOBER 2018

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Article from BTNews 15 OCTOBER 2018

A second runway for Gatwick?

Gatwick makes public a second runway consideration?

The scheme, long promoted by Business Travel News, to turn Gatwick’s emergency strip into a fully operational runway looks like taking off.

According to The Sunday Times, Gatwick bosses on Thursday (18 October) will reveal plans to turn the standby operation, normally used as a taxiway, into a full runway, probably for use by the smaller short-range aircraft that predominate at the airport.

From a practical point of view, there are problems with what is known as backtracking (positioning aircraft for both take-off and landing) and meeting safety requirements, but all this would have been considered by the airport management before publishing the proposal. 

The development could boost the airport’s capacity by 20% to 30% in terms of aircraft movements and for a not large investment increase in its value if the present owners wanted to sell. A 40-year agreement not to build a second runway was signed in 1979 with the then West Sussex County Council. This agreement expires next year.

Stewart Wingate, who has been Gatwick CEO since 2009 and has led the redevelopment of the airport since it split from the then BAA Plc, is due to speak on Monday week (29 October) at the Airport Operators Association annual conference at London’s Marriott County Hall hotel.

(See also Grayling for AOA gathering in this issue).

www.gatwickairport.com

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OUR READERS' FINEST WORDS (All times and dates are GMT)

All comments are filtered to exclude any excesses but the Editor does not have to agree with what is being said. 100 words maximum


Dave Reid, Reading, Berks

The penultimate paragraph hits the nail on the head. The proposal document is best regarded as a marketing brochure aimed at whoever might decide to buy GIP's 42% shareholding in LGW. Though presumably any organization that was interested would exercise the usual due diligence and quickly realise what a nonsense the standby runway proposal is.


Chris Talbot, East Grinstead

And what work has been done on the extra noise polution across towns like East Grinstead and Forest Row. That would leaves two flight paths over East Grinstead. And who will use this as Heathrow is the choice of many airlines.


Ian Hamer, UK

Brilliant..thinking outside the box, so to speak. Yes, there are safety and operational hurdles, but to use an existing resource in this way and to benefit pax and operators, it has to be done.


Barry and Esti Graham, Washington, DC

It amazes me that most airlines insist on flying to LHR rather than LGW when LGW is so much easier to deal with.


John Mountifield, Farnham, Surrey

Hmmm........would it not dilute the case for a second full runway?


Ian Hamer, UK

Brilliant..thinking outside the box, so to speak. Yes, there are safety and operational hurdles, but to use an existing resource in this way and to benefit pax and operators, it has to be done.


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