The Anonymous Widower

Gatwick Second Runway Plan Approved By Transport Secretary

The title of this post is the same as that of this article on the BBC.

This is the sub-heading.

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander has approved plans for a second runway at London Gatwick Airport, as the government looks for economic growth opportunities.

These four introductory paragraphs add some detail.

The £2.2bn privately-financed project involves in effect moving the current Northern Runway 12 metres to bring it into regular use, as well as other developments, including extending the size of terminals.

The airport says its plans will bring jobs and boost the local economy. But there has long been opposition from campaigners and groups worried about the impact on the surrounding area.

Gatwick currently handles about 280,000 flights a year. It says the plan would enable that number to rise to around 389,000 by the late 2030s.

A government source has described the plans as a “no-brainer for growth,” adding that “it is possible that planes could be taking off from a new full runway at Gatwick before the next general election.”

Over the last fifty years, I’ve been involved in many large projects, as I used to write project management software and at one period in the 1980s, half of all the world’s major projects, were being managed by the Artemis software, that I wrote in a Suffolk attic.

I am starting this post by asking Google AI, when Gatwick’s Northern Runway was built. This was the answer I received.

Gatwick’s Northern Runway was built in 1979 by widening an existing taxiway to serve as an emergency runway. While the main runway is known as 08R/26L, the standby or emergency runway is designated as 08L/26R and is located just to the north of the main runway.

Note.

1. 08 means that the runway is aligned at 080 degrees, which is almost due East.
2. 26 means that the runway is aligned at 260 degrees, which is almost due West.
3. Normally, when landing and taking off at Gatwick, your aircraft will use the Southern runway, which points to the West or Runway 26L.

This Google Map shows the layout of the airport.

Note.

1. The longer Southern 08R/26L runway.
2. The shorter Northern 08L/26R runway.
3. The station in the North-East corner of the map is Horley.
4. The station to the East of the runways is Gatwick Airport station.
5. Both stations are on the Brighton Main Line, which runs North-South past the Airport.
6. As when it was built, the Airport envisaged that the Northern runway would be turned into a runway that would meet all standards, I doubt there will be any problems rebuilding the Northern Runway, the required twelve metres to the North.

It was a cunning plan, when it was executed in the late 1970s and worthy of Baldrick at his best.

I do wonder, if it had been developed using Artemis!

September 22, 2025 - Posted by AnonW | Transport/Travel, World | Artemis, Aviation, Construction, Gatwick Airport, Gatwick Airport Station, Gatwick Express, Gatwick Second Runway, Horley Station, Low-Carbon Construction, Project Management