Gatwick Airport 's expansion plan involves bringing its emergency runway into routine use.

Here the PA news agency answers 14 key questions about the project.

– How many runways does Gatwick have?

It has one conventional runway, and one standby runway.

– What is the standby runway used for?

It is mostly used for aircraft to taxi to and from terminals, but is also used when the main runway is closed for emergencies or maintenance.

– Why does Gatwick want to expand?

It is the UK's second busiest airport and one of the busiest single-runway airports in the world.

Spare slots at peak periods are scarce and the runway is heavily utilised, meaning disruption can have a severe knock-on effect.

– What must happen to the standby runway for it to be brought into routine use?

It must be

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