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The key to solving south-east England’s airport capacity conundrum may have been hidden in plain sight all along.
The government has lent support to plans for London Gatwick Airport to bring an emergency runway into full use.
The back-up strip sits just 125 metres from Gatwick’s existing runway, and will need shifting just 12 metres further north before safe landings can begin.
Nearby roads and taxiways will need upgrading to handle the extra 100,000 flights a year the project could unlock.
Price tag? £2.2 billion; not cheap, but far cheaper than Heathrow’s third runway plans.
But Gatwick’s transport links, airline offerings and prestige don’t hold a candle to Heathrow’s – both will still pursue expansion.
There’s likely to be a race to build the UK’s first new major runway since 2001. The eco-conscious should shudder.
