Gatwick may not build a second runway if Heathrow is allowed to expand at the same time.
Both airports are waiting for the publication of the Airports Commission’s interim report into how to increase airport capacity in the south-east, which is due to come out next week.
The report will include a shortlist of possible options for expansion and there has been speculation that a new airport in the Thames estuary, dubbed Boris Island after London mayor Boris Johnson, will be ruled out by the commission headed by Sir Howard Davies.
Gatwick’s chairman Sir Roy McNulty expressed doubt that the airport would be willing to build a second runway if it was given permission to do so at the same time as Heathrow was allowed to construct a third runway.
McNulty told the Financial Times: “We do not think we would get our money back on the investment in a new runway for at least 15 to 20 years.
“The timescale would extend to 30 to 40 years if Heathrow was allowed to build a third runway at the same time. What businessman is going to make an investment of that nature?”
The airport said in a statement: “The real choice for the commission is between a two-runway Heathrow and a two-runway Gatwick, or a three-runway Heathrow and a one-runway Gatwick.”
Gatwick, which is owned by a group headed by Global Infrastructure Partners, has also submitted a 24-page submission which it said was “a direct response to Heathrow issuing several documents in recent months attacking Gatwick’s case for expansion”.
Stewart Wingate, Gatwick’s chief executive, said: “Gatwick’s case for a second runway is compelling. Compared to Heathrow we are cheaper, quicker, have a significantly lower environmental impact and we are the most deliverable solution.
“Since the breakup of BAA, passengers have enjoyed the huge benefits of competition with Gatwick free to invest, attract airlines and provide genuine quality and choice for passengers.”
But Heathrow said it did not agree with Gatwick's position that there could be only one new runway in the south-east.
“Heathrow is the UK’s only hub airport and competes with Frankfurt, Paris and Amsterdam for transfer passengers to support long haul routes," said Heathrow in a statement. "As the country’s most important point-to-point airport, Gatwick serves a different market.
"There is a clear business case for a third runway at Heathrow regardless of whether Gatwick is also permitted to expand.
"We do not agree with Gatwick’s stance that there can only be one new runway in the south-east and we would welcome a solution in which both airports were allowed to grow to deliver choice for passengers and airlines.”
gatwickairport.com