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We won’t build second runway, say owners of Gatwick airport
08.02.10
Gatwick's new owners have ruled out at a second runway for at least another decade, it was revealed today.
Gatwick chairman Sir David Rowlands has told local conservationists that he has “not a shred of interest” in a second runway.
Under a 31-year-old local agreement no second runway can be built at the west Sussex airport until 2019.
But its sale by BAA to US based investment fund Global Infrastructure
Partners in December triggered speculation that the new owners might try to find ways round the “no runway” rule. However, in a meeting with the Gatwick Area Conservation Campaign, Sir David said that, even if the Government started to look more favourably at the prospect of a second runway, Gatwick would have to “think very hard about spending £100 million to £200 million on a planning application with an uncertain decision”.
“We would have to look even more carefully at the economic value of a multi-billion-pound project — would there be a commercial return?”
GACC chairman Brendon Sewill said today: “This firm statement will kill off some silly speculation, and will remove a lot of uncertainty and anxiety.”
Mr Sewill said: “GACC thanks all those who over the years have supported our campaigns against a new runway.
“The united stand by local people, by the local MPs and by all the local councils across Surrey, Sussex and Kent has helped to produce this result.”
He went on: “We will remain on guard. The Government and BAA have previously ruled out new runways at Stansted and at Heathrow, only to announce them a few years later.
“We will stand ready, if need be, to launch a massive campaign to defeat any new runway plan, as we have defeated such plans in the past.”
Gatwick is the world's busiest single runway airport, handling about 32 million passengers a year.
It was sold for £1.5 billion following a lengthy investigation into BAA's dominant ownership of airports by the Competition Commission.
Last week Global Infrastructure Partners said it had off-loaded a 12 per cent stake to South Korea's National Pension Service with a further 15 per cent expected to be sold to sovereign wealth fund the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority. GIP has said it wants to transform the airport to make it the number one choice for passengers and airlines in the London area.
Reader views (5)
A healthy profitable Gatwick operator is good news for us all, and as the incoming owners have identified, there is room for considerable improvement in the passenger experience, greater operating efficiency, and scope for a marked increase in passenger numbers. All this to be within the limitations of one runway. Let us not be fooled, the major long haul Airlines do not like Gatwick, so any growth will tend to be with the smaller short haul operators. They tend to come and go, so it will be an exceedingly risky investment for GIP let alone the massive resistance to expansion that will occur. Heathrow is very different. It needs to expand to handle current demand let alone any increase.
- Tony, Horley, Surrey, 09/02/2010 11:32
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Ruling out a second runway at Gatwick for the foreseable future is good news for local residents and for the environment. It is also good news for the regional economy which needs to diversify rather than put more eggs into the fragile aviation basket.
Economic recovery is likely to bring rapid oil price increases and an end to cheap flights. The Gatwick region needs to anticipate this risk by diversifying into activities that do not depend on cheap oil. It seems that the airport recognises this risk better than other local businesses.
- John Byng, Crawley, 09/02/2010 11:16
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Dear Sirs
I am writing to present the business reaction to the announcement that GIP are not looking to pursue a second runway at Gatwick.
The announcement makes perfect sense due to the 2019 Legal Agreement which prevents the runway. Furthermore, for as long as the second runway is not Government policy, there is no sense in making a Planning Application.
In the mean time GIP are looking to make the most of the capacity that Gatwick can handle in it's current footprint. To do that we need to see larger aircraft operating out of Gatwick so that there are more passengers per movement. As well as making more of the runway and terminal facilities, this is a more sustainable approach.
As a business community that is looking to help the region enjoy a prosperous future we need to make sure that Gatwick's second runway starts to move up the Government's agenda. There is a need to increase runway capacity in the South East and Gatwick is best-placed to provide that. Compared to both Heathrow and stanstead, the proposed site of the runway at Gatwick (a parallel line that is 1035 m to the south of the existing runway) has the least impact of the three airports.
I would welcome the oportunity to discuss this with you & provide further comment.
- Jeremy Taylor, Crawley (by Gatwick!), 08/02/2010 14:37
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At last, good economic news for this country it nods for another runway at Heathrow
- Jack, London, 08/02/2010 11:29
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Common sense is slowly coming to bear,there is enough Excess fuel being sprayed over us at the moment.
- Davey_Bouy, Chertsey, 08/02/2010 10:32
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