Chairman of the LSCC, Greg Clark said investment in Stansted made sense as it was unlikely any new runways would be built at either Heathrow or Gatwick for at least a decade.
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The Sir Howard Davies-led commission will choose from three proposals: a second runway at Gatwick, a third at Heathrow, and a proposal to extend Heathrow’s northern runway.
In two years, it has increased its annual passenger numbers by four million, from 17.5million to 21.5million, but its current capacity is over 40million.
National media have reported that the commission is likely to recommend expanding Heathrow – either with a new runway or an extension to an existing one – but won’t rule out the possibility of building a new runway at Gatwick. The airport recorded 906 air traffic movements in one day in August, a world record for a single-runway airport. Pre (Shanghai: 600048.SS – news) -tax profits slipped to £83.8m from £85.8m, a decline that was mainly due to Gatwick enjoying a smaller gain from financial derivatives than in 2014.
Gatwick focuses on point-to-point flights that take travellers directly to their destinations, while Heathrow is dependent on transfer passengers, which it argues makes long-haul routes viable for carriers.
Gatwick chief executive Stewart Wingate said: ‘As the commission’s recommendation draws near, our record growth has shown why Gatwick remains the best choice. “In a lengthy, complex debate, Gatwick has remained the simple, obvious solution throughout – it is time we are given the green light to deliver the new runway the United Kingdom needs”.
The first designs showing what a Sussex airport would look like if bosses are given the go-ahead to build a second runway have been released this week.
The new Conservative cabinet including London Mayor Boris Johnson, who has said he is “prepared to lie down in front of bulldozers” to halt the Heathrow plan, is said to be divided on what to do next.
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“The year ending 31 March, was the busiest in the airport’s history as it handled 38.7 million passengers”.
