Gatwick: Heathrow expansion 'unfair'

Gatwick Airport has described the Airports Commission's choice of a new runway at Heathrow as "unfair".

Airport chairman Sir Roy McNulty said its predicted passenger figures for Gatwick were "10 years out".

In his first detailed response since the commission's report, he said that meant the economic case was "flawed".

He also told the BBC that "we have not considered a judicial review at this stage", but he did not rule out legal action in the future.

The report said that Heathrow would make a lot more money for the economy.

The Gatwick chairman said he had been raising objections for the past two years, but the final report, published earlier this month, had still ignored them.

In a statement, Gatwick said the report by the independent commission, chaired by Sir Howard Davies, was "flawed".

Out of three possible choices on the table, the commission backed the idea of building a new third runway at Heathrow, at a cost of £18.6bn.

An expansion of Gatwick was also on the table, at a cost of £9.3bn.

Gatwick 'best option'

Sir Roy said: "The many strengths of Gatwick and the many challenges of Heathrow are underplayed, leading to a conclusion which we believe is flawed.

"We are confident that when they [the government] do make their decision, they will choose Gatwick as the best option for the economy and the environment, and - most importantly - after decades of delay, the option that is actually deliverable."

In June, Gatwick reported that it had the busiest year in its history, while Heathrow reported its busiest June on record.

Heathrow also stated: "The commission found that Heathrow's new plan for expansion can be delivered while reducing local and environmental impacts and that expansion at Heathrow is the only solution which can help British businesses compete for global growth, and support a truly national recovery built on exports, skills and investment."

The government should make a final decision before Christmas.

Richard Westcott, Transport correspondent

It's obvious that Gatwick won't be happy with the Airports Commission report, because in the end, it recommended their rival.

But the chair, Sir Roy McNulty, told me this isn't just a case of sour grapes, it's based on measurable economic facts.

His biggest bugbear is the Commission's predictions on passenger numbers. It forecasts Gatwick at 40 million passengers by 2024. But the airport says it'll hit that number this year.

Why is that so important? Well, the more people going through your airport, the more money you make for the economy. And that is a critical factor in where you build your new runway.

Sir Roy also told me they weren't considering a legal challenge. Not yet. But he wouldn't rule it out either.