LONDON — London's Gatwick Airport, Britain's second-biggest air hub,
on Wednesday announced plans to make its second runway fully operational,
claiming it would help secure its long-term growth and
generate 18,400 jobs.
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The airport, 48km south of London, operates as a single-runway airport at
the moment.
Its second runway is available but is currently too close to the main runway
for them both to be used at the same time.
The airport said it plans to move the center-line of the second runway by 12
meters in order to meet international safety rules.
Although passenger numbers remain low due to the pandemic, the airport
said it expects capacity problems by the time that the approval process has
potentially been completed.
"Gatwick has today announced that a public consultation will start
on the September 9, 2021 on plans to bring
its existing Northern Runway into routine use alongside its
Main Runway," it said in a statement.
"The scheme will help secure the
airport's long-term growth, generating approximately 18,400
additional jobs by 2038," it added.
It vowed to limit environmental impacts despite the expected increase in
traffic.
"We are confident that Gatwick will not only fully recover to
previous passenger levels, but has the potential to continue to
grow back into one of Europe's premier airports,"
said Stewart Wingate, CEO of the airport.
Gatwick last year announced 600 job cuts because of the collapse in demand
caused by the coronavirus outbreak.
The airport said the losses, which represented nearly a quarter of its
workforce, came as passenger numbers plunged 80 percent compared with
pre-pandemic levels.
The slump forced it to operate from just one of its two terminals as it
operated at 20 percent of capacity.
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