London Gatwick has cleared the last major legal hurdle to its Northern Runway Project after the Court of Appeal rejected challenges to the scheme, allowing the airport to move into design and delivery work. The ruling preserves development consent for the proposal, which would reposition Gatwick’s existing northern runway to support dual-runway operations at the airport south of London.
The airport said the decision ends an eight-year planning and legal process and confirms the government’s approval granted in September 2025. The project is expected to enable routine use of both runways from 2030 and to increase Gatwick’s capacity by around 100,000 flights a year.
The scheme is among the UK’s largest privately financed airport infrastructure projects and has been presented as a major economic development for the region. Gatwick has previously projected that it could support about 14,000 jobs and add £1bn a year to the UK economy. Chief executive Pierre-Hugues Schmit has been among the executives closely associated with the project as the airport moves from legal defence to detailed execution.