Would someone please explain why I keep seeing all this talk about building a second runway at Gatwick - there is no mention of the already present second runway. Is it never used or unused for some other reason? In any case it seems strange that it is never mentioned.

 

 

Keith

 

 

Its too close the the first runway to be used simultaneously.

ah ok, many thanks for the reply

Most of the time it's used as an extra taxiway as far as I'm aware. It's used when the main runway is out of service for maintenance but it doesn't have any ILS.

Referring to the title there's no confusion at all regarding a second rwy at Gatwick. Thay have wanted one for years but an agreement put in place when the airport was built prevented one being built. As said above the exisitng "second" runway is rarely used as a rwy and came about after an Air Malta flight in 1993 landed on a taxiway mistaking it for the rwy.

I am pretty sure that plans for a second runway at Gatwick will be set in motion very soon after the 2019 exclusion date passes.

26R/08L is an emergency runway and only used when  26L/08R is closed, and is normally classed as a taxiway; no clearance is required to enter it apart from normal taxi clearance, unless it opens as a runway in which case the other will be closed They cannot be used at the same time. 

Also it takes up to 15 min to implement a planned change of runways at Gatwick.. In an emergency it can take substatially longer.

vololiberista, it is not confusing for you since you already knew the above information - since I did not know, then there certainly was confusion

- media talking about a second runway when there is clearly already one there = confusion for me.

 

Many thanks to you, and indeed all of you for the useful information,

 

Keith.