London’s Gatwick Airport, second only to Heathrow in British air traffic, is in a hot competition with Heathrow for the right to build an additional runway to accommodate growing air traffic in Southeast Britain. Part of its strategy is to line up a vast series of improvements to its terminals and rail access.
The airport’s operators (both fields are in private hands now) have laid out a billion-pound plan for new terminals, lounges, roadways and a major ($190 million) upgrade to its rail links to London; by 2025, when the airport hopes to have more than doubled its business, it anticipates direct trains to London every 2.5 minutes.
A government commission charged with siting the new runway is down to either Gatwick (whose single runway is Europe’s busiest) or Heathrow (where two different proposals are on the table). Right now, the commission is taking feedback from interested parties; by next summer the die will have been cast. And the contentious arguments over appropriate development, noise and environmental impact will continue.
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Maybe part of a proposal for Heathrow could include making it less complex to negotiate. I’ve never had a problem with it, although I know it’s the airport people love to hate. Never having flown into Gatwick, I can’t compare. The other 2 I have used are Stansted & Luton, but, like Gatwick, transport to them is limited compared to Heathrow. I’d prefer they get it all right at one, rather than have 4 less than convenient. Maybe I’ll just charter a plane and go into City next time, which I hear is the best of all.
Gatwick, if selected, will have much better transportation than now; in fact, they are committed to building it even with one runway. Every 2.5 minutes, into Central London.
DrF: Gatwick is hoping this will bring some North American flights again; US Airways was the last North American carrier into Gatwick, and they stopped in 2009, sucked into the great vacuum of Heathrow. Gatwick used to have a lot of N. America business back when restrictive legislation limited the number of their flights into Heathrow.
The problem of London City is the problem of Toronto Island…it’s very convenient, but if everyone who wanted to used it, it would be an impossible burden on its densely-populated neighbors.
I would hate for Heathrow to get any more complex to get around in that it already is.
I like flying into Gatwick, although a lot of carriers don’t offer that airport from at least my part of NorthAmerica.
There is no problem with London City, I wasn’t suggesting expansion. Au contraire, and for those who can use it, it’s the best.