Gatwick Wants to Open Emergency Runway To Flights

The world's busiest single-runway airport is looking for ways to accommodate more planes.

London's Gatwick airport has announced it will seek permission to use an emergency landing strip to make room for more flights, according to Bloomberg. The move comes after the airport was left out of a government-backed expansion program.

With London's Heathrow being selected as the location for a new runway that will serve southeast England, Gatwick is doing its best to expand, Bloomberg reported. The airport is expected to unveil a new five-year master plan this week.

"The draft plan will set out for our local communities, partners, airlines, and stakeholders three possible growth scenarios," the airport reportedly said. Those scenarios will include the possibility of bringing its existing standby runway into routine use.

Bringing the emergency runway online is expected to provide an "incremental increase" in capacity, Gatwick said.

The proposal is to be open for views and feedback and will be compliant with international safety requirements, noted Gatwick.

The British Airline Pilots' Association welcomed the plans, noting that such an expansion is critical as the U.K. prepares to leave the European Union.

Gatwick's proposal, however, does have some opponents. Among them, The Communities Against Gatwick Noise and Emissions campaign group, according to Bloomberg.

The group expressed concerns about planes touching wings and having to cross paths because of how close the existing runway is to the emergency runway.

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