London Gatwick’s 14-week public consultation on options for the future operation of Route 4 – one of the nine departure routes for aircraft flying out of the airport – has now closed.

The responses will now be reviewed in detail before a formal proposal is made to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) for consideration.

The consultation ran for 14 weeks, from January 20 until 11.59pm on April 28, providing local communities and stakeholders with the opportunity to share views on proposals for reintroducing satellite-based navigational procedures to Route 4, through a number of webinars, in-person events and a dedicated website.

The proposals form part of a UK government programme to modernise UK airspace, with airports required to adopt new navigational procedures which use modern, satellite-based technology.

Map of the current position of Route 4. Picture contributed

placeholder image — Map of the current position of Route 4. Picture contributed

Andy Sinclair, head of noise and airspace strategy, London Gatwick said: “We would like to thank all those who responded to the public consultation and engaged with us through our webinars and in-person events over the past 14 weeks.

“We are really pleased with the level of engagement. We will now review all feedback and provide further updates in due course.”

All comments submitted during the consultation will be recorded, carefully considered and taken into account when further developing the proposals.

A Consultation Report will be submitted alongside the final proposal to demonstrate how London Gatwick has taken account of the feedback received.

Full details remain available via route4acpt.co.uk.