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Northern Runway plans

Bringing the Northern Runway into routine use will unlock new capacity

Our plans

The Northern Runway is currently limited to acting as a taxiway, only available when the Main Runway is out of use. The planning application proposes repositioning the centre line of the Northern Runway 12 metres north to allow dual runway operations, aligning with international safety standards.

Construction could start in 2025 and be completed and ready for operational use by the end of the decade. The proposals are low impact, with most construction taking place within the current airport boundary.

Bringing the Northern Runway into routine use alongside the Main Runway would unlock new capacity and allow for a more efficient and resilient operation. If approved the £2.2 billion privately financed plan would be one of the largest capital investment projects in the region for decades. And it would help the airport meet future passenger demand by serving around 75 million passengers a year by the late 2030s.

Our planning application

Submitting the planning application 

We submitted our Development Consent Order (DCO) to the Planning Inspectorate (PINS) on 6 July - outlining our ambitious plan to make best use of existing infrastructure by bringing the airport’s existing Northern Runway into routine use.  

This forward-looking and low impact plan aims to use the airport’s existing infrastructure to unlock new capacity and improve airport resilience, in line with government policy.

By investing in our long-term future, we will also enhance the crucial economic role we play, by creating around 14,000 new jobs and injecting £1 billion into the region’s economy every year.

Planning application accepted for examination

Our application was accepted for detailed examination by the Planning Inspectorate (PINS) on 3 August and a period of detailed and rigorous examination of the proposals by a panel of independent experts will follow.

Throughout the DCO planning process, all documents submitted by London Gatwick to the Planning Inspectorate will be publicly available at: infrastructure.planninginspectorate.gov.uk

Registering as an interested party

Ahead of the examination and up until November 19, the public - including residents in local communities and other stakeholders - were given the opportunity to register with the Planning Inspectorate to become an 'interested party'. They may be asked to participate and provide their feedback on proposals during examination.

Details on how interested parties could register their interest in taking part in the examination stage were widely publicised.

Autumn 2021 consultation

In the Autumn of 2021, we ran a 12-week public consultation. We spoke about our plans to bring our Northern Runway into routine use alongside our Main Runway.

Our consultation documents

Summer 2022 consultation

In the summer of 2022, we ran a six-week consultation on updated road designs for our Northern Runway plans. We also asked for your views on our wider updated plans.

Improvements to local roads
Dual runway operations
Masterplan

Our Masterplan sets out how we could develop to meet demand in the most sustainable way over the next 15 years. We want to achieve this whilst ensuring we continue to have operational resilience.

Our Masterplan

Gatwick northern Runway project noise contour viewer

We've created a tool to allow you to see the levels of aircraft noise in 2019 versus the expected ‘base case’ in the future

The Viewer also shows the location of the proposed noise insulation scheme. You can assess the nose of any location by using a relevant post code.

Chapter 14 of the northern runway project environmental statement provides the detailed assessment of noise impacts and explains the viewer noise metrics.

Noise Contour Viewer