Second Gatwick runway could be the answer to Heathrow noise pollution

Building a second runway at Gatwick could be the answer to noise pollution at Heathrow, Alistair Osborne of the Telegraph has argued.

Current levels of noise pollution for residents around Heathrow have reached uncomfortable levels, far more than anyone may have anticipated when moving into an area affected by air traffic. With the proposal of a third runway at the UK's busiest airport, these noise levels could be exacerbated significantly.

However, as review boards and government officials continue to debate the capacity issues at Heathrow, many of the five (or six counting Southend) airports are being overlooked, all of which offer solutions to current capacity and noise pollution concerns.

Gatwick is at the forefront of new arguments to shift air traffic volume from Heathrow to other terminals. Since BAA was forced to sell Gatwick for £1.5 billion in October 2009, the airport has barely looked back. Turnover at the airport increased by 8.6 per cent last year to £517 million, with passenger numbers up by 6.9 per cent to 33.8 million.

New long-haul services are fuelling the demand, with Vietnam Airlines, Korean Air and Air China all choosing Gatwick as their London hubs. Although the airport has chose not to build a second runway before 2019, who knows what could happen after that date.

On the surface, Gatwick enjoys many of the benefits Heathrow offers. It has good transport links that take roughly the same time as travelling from Heathrow, and there are fewer local residents to disturb. Additionally, expanding capacity at Gatwick would be far cheaper than building a completely new airport in the Thames Estuary, which would cost an estimated £50 billion.

The idea of two London hubs has become popular of late, seen as an ideal way to distribute growing traffic into the capital. New York operates a similar system with JFK and Newark, and dividing the traffic could be relatively simple, with BA-led Oneworld alliance at Heathrow and the Lufthansa-dominated Star Alliance at Gatwick.

Posted by Lauren Steadman