GATWICK Airport has announced another public consultation on its plans to open a second runway for commercial flights.

The proposal would mean the airport’s northern runway, currently used for emergencies, brought into routine use for departing aircraft and could be operational as soon as summer 2029.

Roads around the airport would also have changes, including the addition of a new lane westbound over the Brighton main rail lane and a third lane to the A23 approaching Longbridge roundabout.

The centre line of the northern runway would be repositioned further by 12 metres.

The majority of the construction works associated with the airfield would be contained within the existing airport boundary, with the roughly £500 million cost being privately financed.

Gatwick chief executive Stewart Wingate said: “When we launched our initial public consultation last September, we wanted to hear from people and interested groups on our plans to bring our existing northern runway into regular use alongside our main runway.

“Following feedback on our proposals, we have listened and taken the decision to amend several aspects of these plans, particularly our highways designs, so we are keen to get further feedback from local people and other stakeholders on these updated changes before we take our plans forward.”

Some 18,400 additional jobs are expected to be created by the plans by 2038.

However, the proposals have angered environmental campaigners, with some claiming airport bosses are ignoring the climate emergency.

The consultation comes as the government publishes a ten-point plan for aviation, which aims to support growth in airport capacity where it is justified, "improve the consumer experience" and put the sector on course to reach net zero in the industry by 2050.

Gatwick is the UK’s second-largest airport, with short and long-haul flights.

Further information on the latest consultation will be made available on gatwickairport.com/futureplans from June 14, along with details on how to respond.