The Capacity Challenge
Business Traveller UK|November 2019
The UK’s airports have ambitious expansion plans to accommodate growing passenger numbers
Jenni Reid
The Capacity Challenge

Aviation can be an unpredictable business. More than ten years have passed since the government approved plans to build a third runway at London Heathrow, for example, and while the project has since been given parliamentary assent, it is still not certain that it will ever be completed.

What is in no doubt is that the number of people passing through airports will continue to increase. The Department for Transport has said it expects annual passenger numbers to rise to 435 million by 2050, up from 284 million in 2018. Still, that growth may prove to be slower than previously thought; a recent UBS report showed that one in five travellers in the US and Europe was reducing the number of journeys they took owing to “flight shame” over their environmental impact.

There’s barely an airport in the UK that isn’t targeting higher traffic and expanding to do so. We round up ten that are planning to grow over the coming years.

1 GATWICK

Cost: £1.1 billion

Estimated completion: Mid-2020s

While debate over Heathrow’s third runway rumbles on, Gatwick has begun preparing a planning application to bring its standby runway into regular use. It would see the maintenance and emergency runway – which runs parallel to the main one – move marginally further north to comply with international safety requirements. The airport says it would only be used for “smaller departing aircraft”, and could potentially be brought into use by the mid-2020s.

This story is from the November 2019 edition of Business Traveller UK.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the November 2019 edition of Business Traveller UK.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM BUSINESS TRAVELLER UKView All
Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills
Business Traveller UK

Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills

A highlight is the rooftop pool, which is a tropical oasis for post-meeting R&R

time-read
2 mins  |
March 2024
The Peninsula London
Business Traveller UK

The Peninsula London

The design is all about natural light, greenery and open-plan spaces

time-read
2 mins  |
March 2024
Raffles London at The OWO
Business Traveller UK

Raffles London at The OWO

A stay at Raffles London at The OWO is bucket-list worthy

time-read
2 mins  |
March 2024
Vietnam Airlines Boeing 787-9 business class HO CHI MINH CITY-LONDON
Business Traveller UK

Vietnam Airlines Boeing 787-9 business class HO CHI MINH CITY-LONDON

The bedding was nice - with pre-attached seat protector plus soft pillow and silky duvet

time-read
2 mins  |
March 2024
Royal Air Maroc Boeing 737-800 business class CASABLANCA-LONDON GATWICK
Business Traveller UK

Royal Air Maroc Boeing 737-800 business class CASABLANCA-LONDON GATWICK

The service was great throughout the flight and the cabin crew were very friendly

time-read
2 mins  |
March 2024
Istanbul
Business Traveller UK

Istanbul

Mosques, subterranean reservoirs and waterside attractions in the cosmopolitan Turkish city

time-read
3 mins  |
March 2024
Barking mad
Business Traveller UK

Barking mad

Hoteliers worldwide are reaching for their dog bowls to meet the increasing demand of business travellers bringing their pets

time-read
3 mins  |
March 2024
BANGKOK RENAISSANCE
Business Traveller UK

BANGKOK RENAISSANCE

Whether it's extended metro lines, the huge number of new hotels or the parks springing up in the heart of the city, Thailand's capital is so much more than a stopover destination

time-read
6 mins  |
March 2024
GRAPE EXPECTATIONS
Business Traveller UK

GRAPE EXPECTATIONS

Discover the best wines available in the sky - and why you should avoid bold tannins inflight

time-read
3 mins  |
March 2024
RISKY BUSINESS
Business Traveller UK

RISKY BUSINESS

Business travellers need their wits about them more than ever these days with strategies in place should the worst happen

time-read
5 mins  |
March 2024