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New runway at Gatwick could deliver 28,000 new jobs, Arup estimates

A second runway at Gatwick Airport would deliver ‘transformative’ benefits to the South East and generate 28,000 additional jobs according to a new report by Arup.

The research considered the current range of jobs at the airport and analysed what types of skills and jobs would be required to support the construction and maintenance of a new runway at the West Sussex airport.

It estimated that not only would 28,000 new jobs be created in the region, but that the wider jobs boost to the UK could total 120,000 through indirect employment in the supply chain and bumping up wages in the region.

Job creation would also be bolstered through the £3.75m apprenticeship fund that Gatwick have pledged to create if it is to get a second runway which it claims will support 2,500 new job opportunities for young people.

The findings have been released as the battle goes on between Gatwick and Heathrow Airport about which transport hub should get the green light for a new runway.

Commenting on the report’s findings, Gatwick Chief Executive Officer Stewart Wingate said: “Gatwick’s second runway will not only connect the UK to existing and emerging markets around the world, it will also provide thousands of jobs across the South East and deliver a once in a generation opportunity for young people to directly benefit from expansion.

“This is an example of how Gatwick expansion is a nationally-significant project and can provide a positive boost to the local area, to the region, and to the UK as a whole.”

A Government decision on the matter has been repeatedly delayed following the Davies Commission’s recommendation that a third runway at Heathrow Airport would be the best way to support the UK’s aviation requirements over the coming decades.

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