Holidaymakers have been given a major boost after plans for a second runway at Gatwick airport were approved.

The plan will mean around 100,000 more flights each year taking off from the West Sussex airport, accommodating up to 80 million passengers. The new runway could be operational as soon as 2029.

After months of wrangling over noise concerns and airport transport links, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander signed off the proposal on Sunday evening.

The airport’s £2.2billion privately-funded project would involve bringing its second “standby” northern runway into full operational use. It comes not after the Government signed off plans for a third runway at Heathrow airport earlier this year.

The Gatwick plan is set to create 14,000 jobs and generate £1bn for the regional economy.

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