Gatwick Airport wins final court battle over Northern Runway Project

UK Court of Appeal clears the way for the Northern Runway Project

Gatwick Airport has said the UK courts have definitively dismissed the appeals brought by groups opposed to the Northern Runway Project, bringing to a close an eight-year legal and planning battle and allowing the London airport’s expansion to move forward.

The ruling came from the UK Court of Appeal, which upheld the validity of the consent granted in September 2025 by the then Secretary of State for Transport for the project to proceed.

Gatwick Airport’s response and next steps

In a statement issued after the judgment, Gatwick Airport Chief Executive Pierre-Hugues Schmit said the decision once again confirms that the project’s approval was granted lawfully and properly. He added that drawing a line under the case is a significant milestone for the airport, which can now move into detailed design and the delivery phase of the works.

Schmit also stressed the scale of the expected economic effect for the United Kingdom. Based on estimates published by the airport, the Northern Runway Project is expected to create around 14,000 new jobs and add approximately £ 1 billion per year to the UK economy. The airport also says the scheme includes a strategy focused on education, skills training and business development, aimed at benefiting local communities and the wider Gatwick area.

How Gatwick’s runways are used today

At present, although Gatwick has two runways-one measuring 2,565 metres (08L/26R) and another measuring 3,316 metres (08R/26L)-only the longer one is used. This is both because it is longer and because the separation between the two, at around 150 metres, does not allow simultaneous operations due to how close aircraft would be.

As a result, the shorter runway functions only as a taxiway or a back-up runway, brought into use only when the main runway is under maintenance or when an unforeseen situation-such as an emergency-prevents use of the primary runway. The project proposes shifting the shorter runway 12 metres to the right so it can be used with virtually no restrictions.

Cost, additional upgrades, and capacity increase

The overall programme will cost £2.2 billion (R$ 15 bi) and will also include other airport improvements, such as expanding some terminal facilities. The expectation is that the project will be completed by the end of the next decade, lifting capacity from 280,000 flights per year to 389,000.