Bosses at a major international airport have unveiled plans for a second runway.

They will tell the Government’s Airport Commission today (TUES) that the runway at Gatwick could be built by the middle of next decade and would allow Britain to remain one of the best-connected countries in the world.

According to their submission, the expansion will cost between £5 and £9 billion.

An additional runway will bring potential investment benefits to Britain of around £56bn over the period to 2050, would create up to 19,000 new jobs and support wider economic and social regeneration, they said.

Gatwick, owned by Global Infrastructure Partners, believes that a second runway will be one of the easiest and cheapest ways of freeing up te nation’s aviation logjam. The say it is much cheaper than a brand new £50 billion hub airport in the Thames Estuary favoured by London's mayor Boris Johnson.

According to the submission, noise impacts will be substantially lower than for Heathrow’s plans – a two runway Gatwick will affect fewer than 5% of the people Heathrow impacts today.

Gatwick currently supports 23,000 jobs and sees 34 million passengers a year.

West Sussex County Council has already backed plans for the runway.

Stewart Wingate, London Gatwick chief executive, said the airport has provided a robust and compelling case outlining why the next runway should be built at the London airport.

He believes it is the most affordable, sustainable and deliverable solution for London and for the UK.

He said: “London is the best connected city in the world today because the UK's aviation industry is one of the most competitive and innovative. Our proposal to the Airports Commission builds on this foundation and would ensure that the UK has an airports policy which offers the additional capacity that Britain needs, improves the resilience of the airports system and, above all, can be delivered.

“Our evidence shows clearly that an additional runway at Gatwick would best serve the needs of all passengers, and give certainty to airlines, communities and businesses. It would deliver the connectivity the UK needs with lower environmental impacts, whilst spreading the economic benefits.

“A two-runway Gatwick, as part of a constellation of three major airports surrounding London, will also provide flexibility in an industry where the only constant is change.”