The British Ministry of Transportation approved on Sunday, September 21, a project to build a second track at Gatwick Airport, near London, while Heathrow’s could also grow, according to a government document.
Such expansions are rare in European airports, countries are divided between efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and the needs of the aeronautical industry, a strategic sector that has seen demand increase.
Gatwick Airport, located in southern London, is the second United Kingdom airport after Heathrow, and the first in Europe with a single track, with more than 43 million passengers last year.
A project at 2.5 billion euros
The project of 2.2 billion pounds (2.5 billion euros), financed by the private sector, should allow to accommodate 100,000 additional flights per year, a figure at 261,000 flights of 2024.
The Ministry of Transportation considers this project as a “evidence of growth” because the current limitation of capacity is considered “a brake for the soft functioning of businesses, commerce and tourism,” British means report that cite government sources. Flights could take off from the new track by 2029, they say.
At Heathrow Airport, west London, a project to build a third track estimated at 21 billion pounds (24 billion euros) received in January the support of the Labor Government of Keir Starmer after years of legal battles, the British executive is inclined to launch large infrastructure projects in the hope of reviving the economy.
The expansion plans of the two London airports are strongly criticized by environmental defense groups and residents concerned with noise.
Source: BFM TV
