Nusrat Ghani, MP for Wealden, has met with Stewart Wingate, CEO of Gatwick, to discuss the airport’s recovery post-pandemic as well as future growth plans and review of current flying patterns.
The aviation industry has been one of the hardest hit by the pandemic and as a major local employer, Gatwick’s reduced operation has had a great impact on many livelihoods in the area. However, Nusrat was pleased to learn that the airport is now recovering well, and actively looking at ways to better respond to people’s desire to resume travel. One of the improvements under consideration that would allow Gatwick to better serve over 46 million passengers travelling through the airport each year is to bring the existing Northern Runway into regular use alongside the Main Runway. A twelve-week consultation and subsequent six-week consultation on these plans took place in autumn 2021 and summer 2022 respectively, and the responses are now being considered and used to inform the application for Development Consent.
As noise issues are commonly raised concerns of Wealden residents, Nusrat was also keen to take this meeting as an opportunity to address the matter. Gatwick is currently working in partnership with other airports in the South East on an airspace modernisation programme to facilitate cleaner and quieter air travel. This would include quicker and steeper ascents and descents to mitigate noise impact and improving traffic flow, and could remove the need for aircraft stacking to the south of the airport.
A full public consultation on future flight paths will be announced in due course, once a comprehensive list of route design options is developed in consultation with local stakeholders.
Nusrat Ghani said: “In many ways, we are lucky to have Gatwick airport so close to Wealden as it is a huge local employer and a key international gateway for export and tourism. However, from my casework I am also aware of the frustrations about aircraft noise. I was pleased to be joined at this meeting by a local resident and councillor to raise these concerns with the CEO and to explain that this was a sore point for many Wealden constituents. I welcome assurances that efforts are being made to remove aircraft stacking from Wealden in the future as part of plans to modernise our airspace and I look forward to continuing working with Gatwick on making positive changes to become a better neighbour to Wealden.”
