London Gatwick’s 14-week Route 4 consultation closes
- The 14-week public consultation on the future operation of Route 4 has now closed
- The proposals form part of a UK government programme to modernise UK airspace
- The responses will now be reviewed in detail before a formal proposal is made to the CAA for consideration
London Gatwick’s 14-week public consultation on options for the future operation of Route 4 – one of the nine departure routes for aircraft flying out of the airport – has now closed.
The responses will now be reviewed in detail before a formal proposal is made to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) for consideration.
The consultation ran for 14 weeks, from 20 January 2026 until 23:59 on 28 April 2026, providing local communities and stakeholders with the opportunity to share views on proposals for reintroducing satellite-based navigational procedures to Route 4, through a number of webinars, in-person events and a dedicated website.
The proposals form part of a UK government programme to modernise UK airspace, with airports required to adopt new navigational procedures which use modern, satellite-based technology.
Andy Sinclair, Head of Noise and Airspace Strategy, London Gatwick said: “We would like to thank all those who responded to the public consultation and engaged with us through our webinars and in-person events over the past 14 weeks. We are really pleased with the level of engagement. We will now review all feedback and provide further updates in due course.”
All comments submitted during the consultation will be recorded, carefully considered and taken into account when further developing the proposals. A Consultation Report will be submitted alongside the final proposal to demonstrate how London Gatwick has taken account of the feedback received.
Full details remain available via route4acpt.co.uk .
With around 43m annual passengers, London Gatwick is the UK’s second largest and one of Europe’s top airports. It is a vital piece of national infrastructure that drives both the national and regional economies by generating £5.5bn GVA and supporting over 76,000 jobs (2023). More than 60 airlines fly from the airport to over 160 short-haul and more than 50 long-haul destinations. With a declared maximum capacity of 57 movements an hour, London Gatwick is the most efficient single runway airport in the world.
The airport is located 28 miles south of the UK capital and is extremely well-connected, with more than a quarter of England’s population (15m people) – including all of London – less than one hour away by road or rail. A six-year, £2bn sustainable growth programme includes an ambitious plan to be a net zero airport by 2030 and to increase capacity by bringing the airport’s existing Northern Runway into routine use, alongside its Main Runway. VINCI Airports owns a 50.01% stake in the airport, with Global Infrastructure Partners managing the remaining 49.99%.
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