Gatwick Airport could soon incorporate a second runway, if leaked BAA documents are to be believed.
The operator of the UK’s second busiest airport, which has been ordered to sell the base, has sent interested bidders a secret message detailing the site of the proposed runway – just one kilometre away from the existing one.
A spokesman for BAA told The Telegraph: “We simply explained to bidders the policy framework in which Gatwick operates and was clearly set out in the airport master plan in 2006.”
BAA’s “sales prospectus” sets out the present situation regarding the expansion and specifically includes the government’s and the Competition Commission’s positions, which do not rule out the move.
“Our latest estimates indicate that the earliest dates that new runways could be completed at Stansted, Heathrow and Gatwick are 2015, 2020 and 2021,” the commission suggested.
However, The Guardian has reported that sources close to potential buyers have “played down” the possibility of an additional runway.
A source told the newspaper: “The prospect of a second runway is there, but there are question marks. We are not prepared to commit to planning for a second runway. It is not part of the plan.”
This comes just weeks after the government decided to delay its decision on granting London Heathrow Airport a third runway, following increased pressure from local west London resident groups and environmental campaigners.
The environment secretary, Hillary Benn, even expressed his doubts about the viability of the growth in air traffic. He suggested that unless noise and air pollution are drastically reduced then a third runway should not go ahead.
One of the key reasons development at Gatwick is being considered is due to estimates that only 26,000 additional residents will be exposed to greater noise pollution, compared to 118,000 if Heathrow was extended.
A number of groups are rumoured to be in the running for the acquisition of Gatwick, including Manchester Airport Group, Virgin, the private equity group 3i and Vancouver Airport.
