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We're excited to lead the creation of an Airport Economic Zone (AEZ) through a collaborative public-private sector approach. The Gatwick Region AEZ will leverage London Gatwick’s position as a regional economic anchor to foster long-term growth and investment across the region surrounding the airport, by:
Promotion of the region as a place to do business, work, live, visit and invest
Recognise the individual strengths of the diverse sub-regions and add value where possible to their respective offers and growth plans through collaboration
Promotion of the visitor economy in the region for domestic and international markets
Advocate and promote inward investment, including foreign direct investment and domestic investment
Promote and support businesses with international trade and new markets aligned to routes flying into Gatwick
Collaboration across existing legislative boundaries for common goals and collective gain
Speak with a unified voice to national Government and other key legislative bodies to harness and utilise local and national political power
Identify future opportunities for the zone to secure mobile international capital and other funding
Build on economic development work already being conducted within the airport region
Airport Economic Zones are an internationally recognised concept. Identifiable and branded collaborative public-private sector partnerships, with an airport at their geographical core, promoting wider long-term sustainable regional economic development.
Our impact on local economy
London Gatwick is already a major catalyst for growth, contributing 76,500 jobs and £5.5 billion to the UK economy every year. The AEZ aims to build on this regionally, by unlocking new trade, tourism, and benefits for business, and attracting global investment for the region.
Northern Runway Plans
In September 2025, London Gatwick's planning application for their Northern Runway plans was accepted by the Secretary of State for Transport. This more than £2 billion investment plan will bring London Gatwick's existing standby Northern Runway into routine use which will create around 14,000 jobs and generate £1 billion in economic benefits every year. These plans include an Employment, Skills, and Business Strategy, supported by a £20 million fund, which will provide a further funding boost for the AEZ.
