Gatwick Airport is going ahead with its plans to prepare for a second runway in case they are awarded the government backing that Heathrow seems to have trouble getting.
They are launching the tendering process for their mooted second runway that could be worth as much as £200m. It has announced that they will start asking for interest from construction and engineering agencies that want to bid to provide detailed designs for the runway.
Gatwick will not select winners for the work unless it is awarded the government backing that it is hoping for. A few months ago, many would have said Gatwick was being a bit presumptuous but with the delays and lack of firm decision with regard to adding the additional runway to Heathrow, it seems to make sense for them to prepare for backing so they can get started right away if the decision is in their favour.
Gatwick and Heathrow both want to build new runways, but the government is holding off on deciding until the summer amongst concerns about pollution in West London.
Gatwick has seen record growth in the past years with 40m passengers transported last year and they are fast reaching their passenger capacity of 45m. With these numbers in mind, they are going ahead with some investment projects to improve facilities, such as a new international airport lounge, and improvements to parking at their North Terminal facility.
The West Sussex airport looks like they may be wiser than the rest of us by preparing themselves for a decision in their favour. We will all have to wait with eager anticipation until summer to see what is decided.