Why does Gatwick have two runways?

For all intents and purposes, London Gatwick Airport (LGW) already has two runways. While one is used as the everyday runway, the other is used as a taxiway most of the time. The second runway is only used for departures and arrivals when the primary runway can't be used.



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For all intents and purposes, London Gatwick Airport (LGW) already has two runways. While one is used as the everyday runway, the other is used as a taxiway most of the time. The second runway is only used for departures and arrivals when the primary runway can't be used.

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Most construction will be within the airport perimeter, bar stretches of additional local road lanes and flyovers, and Gatwick has said it hopes work will start in 2025 for the runway to be in use by 2030.

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Larger airports usually have several runways in different directions, so that one can be selected that is most nearly aligned with the wind. Airports with one runway are often constructed to be aligned with the prevailing wind.

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As the required length for runways has grown, Heathrow now has only two parallel runways running east–west. These are extended versions of the two east–west runways from the original hexagram. From the air, almost all of the original runways can still be seen, incorporated into the present system of taxiways.

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The wind in the UK is fairly constant east-west, thus there is no need to construct runways in other directions. The only reason to construct extra runways, is for the case where the capacity of the current runway system is insufficient.

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Almost all of the major airports in the United Kingdom are single-runway (or functionally-single-runway) installations, with only two of the very busiest (Heathrow and Manchester) having as many as two runways (although Heathrow has a third under construction).

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Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport remains the busiest airport in the world with 5.2 million seats in September 2023. The composition of the Global Top 10 Busiest Airports is also the same as last month but there are a few changes to the rankings.

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From 23:00 to 07:00 is the “night period”, during which the noisiest types of aircraft may not be scheduled to land or take-off. The 'night quota period' is from 23:30 to 06:00. Between these hours aircraft movements are restricted to an upper limit on the number of movements.

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The name Gatwick is said to derive from old English meaning (essentially) “Goat Farm”. The London & Brighton Railway opened on 12th July 1841 and ran close to the Gatwick Manor house. The Jordan family sold the land to the newly established Gatwick Race Course Company in 1890.

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The problem with Gatwick's two runways is their proximity. While the two runways at Heathrow are separated by several terminals, the runways at Gatwick are only separated by a small strip of grass. This means that the two cannot realistically be used simultaneously.

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Gatwick Airport (IATA code: LGW), or London Gatwick, is the second largest of the main London airports and is the second busiest airport in the United Kingdom in terms of passenger traffic.

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London Heathrow (LHR) is the busiest airport in the UK, handling almost twice the number of passengers as the next entry on the list.

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Europe's largest airport in terms of passenger traffic is located in the UK. It is London Heathrow, with 80,884,310 visitors in 2019. It is also one of the largest intercontinental airports in the world, ranking 7th. In particular, Heathrow attracts the most international passengers annually in Europe.

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Almost all of the major airports in the United Kingdom are single-runway (or functionally-single-runway) installations, with only two of the very busiest (Heathrow and Manchester) having as many as two runways (although Heathrow has a third under construction).

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Longest Runway in the UK London Heathrow 09L/27R at 12,799ft x 164ft (3,902m x 50m) is currently the longest active runway in the UK.

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Today the airport consists of two terminals, north and south, which use a single runway, 3,316 metres in length. A second runway exists but is only operated when the main runway is out of action. Gatwick airport flies to more destinations than any other UK airport, handling over 43 million passengers per year.

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The runway was recorded at this length between late 1941 and 1951/2 when the airfield was upgraded and a single concrete runway built. During this period Wittering was classed as a Master Diversion Airfield. London Heathrow 09L/27R at 12,799ft x 164ft (3,902m x 50m) is currently the longest active runway in the UK.

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