London Gatwick Airport receives UK Government approval for Northern Runway expansion
London Gatwick Airport confirmed (21-Sep-2025) it received UK Government approval for plans to bring its Northern Runway into routine use. VINCI Airports MD for UK Stewart Wingate stated: "This is another important gateway in the planning process for this GBP2.2 billion investment, which is fully funded by our shareholders and will unlock significant growth, tourism and trade benefits for London Gatwick and the UK and create thousands of jobs". Mr Wingate added: "It is essential that any planning conditions enable us to realise the full benefits of the project and do not impose unnecessary constraints that make it uneconomic to invest in". Mr Wingate concluded: "We now need to carefully examine the details of the planning consent. Once we have done that, we will be able to comment further". [more - original PR]
Background ✨
The UK Secretary of State for Transport issued a 'minded to approve' letter for Gatwick's northern runway project, extending the final decision deadline to 27-Oct-2025. The project could add 60,000 flights per annum, create up to 35,000 new jobs, and generate GBP2 billion annually for the economy. Gatwick accepted stricter noise limits and public transport targets as part of the conditions for approval1 2.