Gatwick to discuss safeguarding land for second runway
London Gatwick plans to discuss issues surrounding the construction of a second runway at the airport at a meeting with the Gatwick Airport Consultative Committee (GATCOM) (UK Airport News, 27-Jul-2011). GATCOM chairman Dr John Godfrey labelled the government's paper on aviation "disappointing". London Gatwick is the world's busiest single runway airport. London Gatwick is interested in securing nearby land for the future construction of a second runway.
GATCOM: "It is disappointing that other than making the best use of existing capacity and stating that meeting unconstrained demand is not an option, there is no significant discussion of longer term capacity issues in the scoping paper. The aviation framework should provide clear guidance on whether land needs to be safeguarded for longer term needs. This is critical as safeguarding affects development decisions and property blight." Dr John Godfrey, chairman. Source: UK Airport News, 27-Jul-2011.