London Gatwick Airport. Photo: Shutterstock London Gatwick Airport has received the final legal clearance to proceed with its long-planned Northern Runway Project after the Court of Appeal rejected legal challenges brought by two campaign groups.
The ruling confirms that the UK government's September 2025 decision to approve the project was lawful, bringing an end to an eight-year planning and legal process that examined the expansion proposal through multiple reviews.
In a statement, London Gatwick Chief Executive Pierre Hugues Schmit welcomed the decision, saying the court had "comprehensively rejected" the legal challenges and confirmed that the approval by the Secretary of State for Transport had been made properly and lawfully.
Schmit said the judgment from senior Court of Appeal judges marks the conclusion of years of planning scrutiny and allows the airport to move forward with the next stage of the project.
"The Northern Runway project will deliver significant business, tourism and trade benefits for the UK, including 14,000 new jobs, a £1 billion boost to the economy every year and a comprehensive education, skills and business strategy designed to bring maximum benefits to local people and the Gatwick region," he said.
With the legal process now complete, London Gatwick plans to begin the design and delivery phase of the expansion project.
The airport said it will release further details about the project in due course and thanked supporters who backed the planning application throughout the approval process.
The Northern Runway Project is expected to increase airport capacity while supporting economic growth, employment and regional development across the South East of England.