London Gatwick Airport (LGW) has opened the registration for local businesses interested in working as suppliers for the Northern Runway project.
As part of the plans, Gatwick has developed an outline employment, skills and business strategy. This details opportunities for the inclusion of local businesses in the airport’s procurement process and supply chains. Small and medium-sized businesses can register to provide Gatwick’s supply chain with a range of services, including construction, facilities management, IT projects, workwear, utilities, distribution and HR services, among many others. The businesses must be based within RH, BN, CR, KT, TN or GU postcodes. In addition to supporting local businesses, Gatwick expects this strategy to generate 18,400 new jobs.
These plans hinge on the success of the airport’s Northern Runway project. In September, Gatwick launched its public consultation regarding plans to bring the Northern Runway into routine use alongside the Main Runway, enabling the airport to increase its capacity to approximately 75.6 million passengers per annum by 2038. To gather support for the project, Gatwick has launched a 12-week public consultation on the Northern Runway plans, along with a virtual exhibition and an option to book a telephone surgery with project experts or request a virtual briefing for local stakeholder groups. This consultation period closes on December 1.
Richard Lennard, economic partnerships manager at Gatwick Airport, said, “Gatwick has been a major driver for the local and regional economy for several decades, as well as supporting the wider UK economy. We plan to maximize the benefits we provide for local people, communities and businesses through the development of a range of supply chain initiatives that aim to ensure the airport’s procurement and supply chain spending targets businesses based in the region.”
Jeff Alexander, chief executive of the Gatwick Diamond Initiative, said, “Today’s announcement provides a significant opportunity for smaller businesses across our region to benefit from access to Gatwick’s supply chain. Businesses that have previously worked within the Gatwick supply chain have flourished, and we welcome Gatwick opening up this opportunity for more businesses to be able to participate as our economy rebuilds following the pandemic.”