Gatwick can ‘press on’ with bringing ‘exciting project to life’ as Government wins legal challenge to open second runway

Gatwick’s second runway can now be brought into full use after the Court of Appeal dismissed a legal challenge brought by campaign groups Communities Against Gatwick Noise Emissions (CAGNE) and Gatwick Area Conservation Campaign (GACC), bringing years of uncertainty to an end.

The expansion will see the airport move its emergency runway 12m (39ft) north to allow 100,000 more flights a year.

Pierre-Hugues Schmit, chief executive of London Gatwick, said the second runway, which is scheduled to become operational in 2030, will bring £1 billion a year into the economy in south-east England and create 14,000 jobs in the region.

He said: “Today’s Court of Appeal decision to comprehensively reject the legal challenges brought by the two campaign groups opposing London Gatwick’s Northern Runway Project, confirms, yet again, that the September 2025 decision by the Secretary of State for Transport to approve the Northern Runway Project was taken properly and lawfully.

“We are also very pleased that this ruling, from senior Court of Appeal Judges, brings to an end an eight-year planning and legal process which has carefully tested and scrutinised every aspect of our expansion plans on multiple occasions.

“The Northern Runway project will deliver significant business, tourism and trade benefits for the UK, including 14,000 new jobs, a £1bn boost to the economy every year and a comprehensive education, skills and business strategy designed to bring maximum benefits to local people and the Gatwick region.

“This final ruling means that we can now press on with the important job of bringing this exciting project to life and move forward into the design and delivery phase.

“We would like to thank everyone who has supported our planning application through the various stages and will announce further details in due course.”