A second runway has been approved for London Gatwick Airport, a privately-financed project that will add about 190 flights a day.
The UK government says expansion of the West Sussex airport is part of its economic growth agenda, bringing jobs and business opportunities.
Gatwick was acquired in 2019 by the Vinci group which also owns Edinburgh and Belfast airports.
The £2.2bn project at Europe’s second busiest single-runway airport, involves extending the terminals which currently handle about 280,000 flights a year.
It says the plan would enable that number to rise to around 389,000 by the late 2030s with passenger numbers doubling to 80 million.
A government source said the new full runway could be fully operational before the next general election.
Currently, the Northern Runway, which would be modified, is only used for taxiing or as a back up. The second runway would be used for short haul flights, with capacity also freed up for more long-haul services from the main runway.
The decision to approve the expansion plan had been expected in February, but at the time, the Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander only said she was “minded to grant consent” for the Northern Runway planning application.
In April, Gatwick agreed to stricter noise controls which includes greater use of public transport for passengers travelling to and from the airport.
Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, said: “This Government promised to kickstart the economy – and we are.
“A second runway at Gatwick means thousands of more jobs and billions more in investment for the economy.
“We are backing the builders, not the blockers. By slashing red tape and transforming the planning system to get Britain building again we are investing in this country’s renewal and building an economy that works for working people.”
There are concerns, however, that expansion of Gatwick along with plans at Luton and Heathrow, will concentrate growth in the south of England, with no indication of similar growth plans at northern airports.
Chris Curtis, who chairs the Labour Party’s growth group, welcomed the approval by Ms Alexander but said “radical planning reform” was needed to enable future projects to be completed more swiftly.
Shadow Transport Secretary Richard Holden welcomed the decision as “a vital step towards driving economic growth”.
Green Party leader Zack Polanski said approval of the expansion plan was a “disaster for the climate crisis”.
Hannah Lawrence, spokesperson for Stay Grounded, said “We need an immediate end to airport expansion and money put into improving sustainable transport such as trains.”
Alex Chapman, senior economist at left-of-centre think tank New Economics Foundation, also argued the move would not create new jobs, but would just shift them from other parts of the country.
“People are already perfectly able to catch cheap flights on holiday or travel for business,” he added.
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