Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander has approved a £2.2bn plan to bring a second runway into regular use at London Gatwick. The project will shift the existing Northern Runway slightly and

expand terminals, allowing the airport to handle tens of millions more passengers.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves said the scheme will create thousands of jobs and attract billions in investment. Gatwick, already Europe’s busiest single-runway airport, wants to boost flights from around 280,000 a year to nearly 390,000 by the late 2030s — potentially doubling passenger numbers to 80 million.

Supporters see it as a “no-brainer for growth,” with flights possibly taking off before the next election. But critics are pushing back hard. The Green Party called it “a disaster,” while campaigners warn of more noise, traffic, pollution, and climate damage. Some groups are already preparing legal challenges.

To win approval, Gatwick agreed to stricter noise rules, better insulation for nearby homes, and targets to get more than half of passengers arriving by public transport. If targets aren’t met, the runway could be delayed until major road improvements are finished.

Backers say this is part of a wider push to “get Britain building again,” while opponents argue it’s the wrong direction during a climate crisis. Photo by Mike McBey, Wikimedia commons.