Gatwick Airport clears legal hurdle for £2.2bn second runway expansion

A Court of Appeal ruling dismissed the legal challenge brought by campaigners and the group Communities Against Gatwick Noise Emissions, allowing Gatwick Airport’s £2.2 billion expansion to proceed. The plan moves the airport’s emergency runway 12 metres north and adds a second runway, expected to accommodate about 100,000 additional flights and roughly 13 million more passengers each year.

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander called the decision a “major milestone” for the airport, citing the creation of thousands of jobs and the boost to investment. The ruling also noted that the government’s climate‑reduction targets were not a sufficient reason to block the project. The Department for Transport announced a £219 million investment in green‑fuel production to reduce aviation emissions as part of the expansion.

The legal defeat marks the final major obstacle for the project, which aims to strengthen the UK’s global aviation links and support economic growth.