Serious concerns have been raised about the proposed expansion of Gatwick Airport, with warnings that the project could expose the local economy to renewed instability, while worsening housing pressures and climate impacts.
In a statement provided for the recent CAGNE AGM, Crawley MP Peter Lamb highlighted the dangers of continued over-reliance on aviation for local employment.
“Crawley suffered the worst economic hit anywhere in the country, due to our over-reliance on the aviation sector for employment,” Mr Lamb said.
The business case for Gatwick’s proposed new runway was a key issue during the recent planning inquiry, where local authorities and CAGNE raised concerns. The inquiry ultimately recommended refusal. Since then, Gatwick has announced a reduction in flight numbers, even before the growing global instability linked to conflicts in the Middle East and between Russia and Ukraine.
Airlines are already responding to this volatility by cancelling routes, and it appears that many have not hedged fuel costs. Carriers including Air Baltic* have seen their bonds tumble, and Wizz** has seen its stock collapse. At the same time, Scandinavian Airlines*** has cancelled flights in response to rising fuel prices, even after completing a debt restructuring in recent years. The consumer is suffering from increases in household bills, leaving little surplus to spend on leisure flights. This uncertainty, combined with Gatwick’s reliance on a low-cost leisure travel model, must surely raise questions about the resilience of a £2.2 billion runway investment by shareholders.
Reflecting on lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic, Mr Lamb said local efforts have focused on economic diversification to avoid repeating past vulnerabilities.
“Significant public money has gone into projects designed to ensure we never again find ourselves in the situation we faced during COVID-19,” he said.
Housing was identified as a critical constraint. Mr Lamb warned that an estimated 14,000 additional workers and their families would place unsustainable pressure on an area already facing the UK’s second-worst housing crisis.
“No council plan currently comes close to providing the level of housing that would be required,” he said.
The High Court has delayed its ruling on Gatwick’s expansion following submissions by CAGNE’s legal team at the January 2026 hearing, with errors in the government’s climate impact figures.
CAGNE said it would continue to hold Gatwick Airport to account, regardless of the court’s eventual decision.
“Local authorities are already stretched to breaking point,” a CAGNE spokesperson said. “It is wrong that they should be expected to shoulder the costs of a new runway — from years of construction traffic on pothole-ridden roads and worsening air quality, to finding funding for affordable housing, schools and healthcare.”
* Bloomberg UK https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-03-19/air-baltic-sbonds-tumble-as-mideast-war-drives-up-fuel-costs
** WIZZ stock down by 20% since the Middle East crisis (February)
*** https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/scandinavian-airlinesflights-cancelled-fuel-prices-iran-war-b2940824.html
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