Gatwick airport's new runway could bring £200m a year to Sussex

In February the Secretary of State for Transport said she is “minded to grant consent” for the Northern Runway at planning application if it met certain requests.

London Gatwick has today stated that if the planning application is approved it could help unlock £275 million a year for Sussex’s visitor economy.

Richard Lennard, economic partnerships manager at London Gatwick and a member of the Local Visitor Economy Partnership (LVEP) advisory board said: “The Northern Runway is about more than just increasing capacity.

“It’s about connecting the UK to the fastest-growing regions of the world and ensuring Sussex can share in the benefits of that global reach.

“By unlocking an additional 1.6 million international inbound passengers a year by 2038, we’re not just meeting growing demand, we’re bringing new opportunities directly into our region with tourism being a catalyst of economic growth.”

The airport has said that the growth is central to ambitions for Sussex to raise its global profile and attract tourists who stay longer and spend more.

The Sussex Visitor Economy Growth Strategy, a ten-year strategy to enhance Sussex’s reputation as a touristic destination, has set a target of an extra 500,000 international tourists a year by 2034 which aims to grow the sector from £5 billion to £7.5 billion.

Tourism already supports more than 74,000 local jobs and accounting for 14 per cent of the county’s employment, London Gatwick has said.

While overseas tourists currently make up just 2% of the total visitor numbers to Sussex, they contribute around 20% of all spending. Key to boosting this are new and expanded long-haul services to destinations such as Shanghai, Singapore and Dubai, with China also highlighted as a key market for growth within the strategy. Alongside developing connectivity across Southeast Asia and the Gulf, the airport is actively shaping the UK’s role as a global gateway with 54 long-haul routes already operating.

The airport has also said that if Northern Runway is approved it could bring an additional 60,000 flights per year, including more long-haul routes with passenger numbers increasing to around 80.2 million passengers per year in 2047.

Aerial view of Gatwick Airport (Image: Nicholas T. Ansell/PA Wire) London Gatwick submitted its Development Consent Order (DCO) application to the Planning Inspectorate (PINS) on 6 July 2023.

The application was accepted on August 3, 2023, and a detailed six-month public examination concluded in August 2024.

The Planning Inspectorate submitted its recommendation to the Secretary of State for Transport on November 27, 2024.

On February 27 the Secretary of State for Transport said she was “minded to grant consent” to the application.

Stating that the Planning Inspectorate had recommended a range of operational controls on the scheme (not all of which had been considered during the Examination) she provided additional time to seek views from London Gatwick and other parties on these provisions, prior to making a final decision which is expected by October 27.