London Gatwick Airport has submitted plans for a £2.2 billion ($2.8 billion) second runway as the airport looks to double passenger numbers to 75 million a year by the end of the next decade.

The Northern Runway project involves bringing a standby runway into use for departing flights alongside the existing main runway. At the present time, the airport is limited to using the Northern Runway as a taxiway, or when the main runway is out of use.

A Development Consent Order, submitted to the UK’s Planning Inspectorate, proposes that the center line of the Northern Runway be repositioned 12 m (39 ft.) north to allow dual runway operations. 

The move would enable the number of annual flights to increase from 285,000 to 386,000, with the main runway used for arrivals and departures of all aircraft and the Northern Runway able to handle the departures of smaller narrowbody aircraft. 

CEO Stewart Wingate emphasized that the second runway is crucial for securing the airport’s long-term future and fostering economic prosperity for the region. “If approved, our plan will also improve airport resilience, meet future passenger demand, and increase competition in the London airport market, by providing vital new international connections,” he says.

Gatwick says the expansion will create about 14,000 new jobs and bring an annual boost of £1 billion ($1.3 billion) to the region’s economy each year. The airport hopes work will start in 2025 for the runway to be in use by 2030. 

Despite noise and environmental concerns, Gatwick says that within nine years of the Northern Runway opening, the airport’s operations will generate less noise than in 2019, when it last operated at full capacity.  

It also highlighted plans to invest £250 million ($319 million) to be net zero for its own Scope 1 and 2 carbon emissions by 2030, 10 years earlier than previously planned. The airport intends to move to an electric vehicle fleet and replace gas boilers and refrigerants with low-carbon alternatives. 

Gatwick says it will also invest in on-site renewable energy, including solar power, and source renewable electricity through power purchase agreements.

The airport handled 32.8 million passengers in 2022, representing 70.4% of pre-pandemic levels. It also returned to profit of £196.5 million ($250.8 million) last year following combined losses of more than £830 million ($1.06 billion) in 2020 and 2021.

OAG Schedules Analyzer data shows that capacity for the week commencing July 3 stands at 580,818 departure seats, representing a full recovery of 2019 levels. EasyJet has a 47.9% capacity share, followed by British Airways on 12.5% and TUI Airways on 6.5%.

Plans for Gatwick’s second runway come as proposals for a third runway at London Heathrow Airport remain on hold. The Heathrow scheme involves building a third runway to the northwest of the existing two runways. However, the project has been paused since the onset of the pandemic.

Asked for its current position on the new runway, a statement to Aviation Week in June said: “While we are now rebuilding capacity after the pandemic, we are also reviewing and looking ahead at the next steps for expansion.

“Heathrow expansion is critical for the UK’s future economic success. It will create jobs, boost Britain’s exports and drive competition and choice to lower airfares for passengers. What’s more, it will only be delivered within strict environmental limits.”