The airport’s original plan to resurface its main runway in 2020 was halted by the pandemic, yet Covid-19 allowed the airport to draw up new plans to deliver a more sustainable solution for the minimum practical budget.
 
The rethink saw the airport break from traditional methods by resurfacing only the most trafficked parts of its main runway – where aircraft land and exit – as other sections were shown to still have seven to ten years of expected life. 
  
Combined, this new approach saw 40,000 tonnes of asphalt laid – 100,000 tonnes less than normally used when resurfacing the airport’s main runway. This meant the project could complete in just six months and for 50% less cost than normal.
  
Alasdair Scobie, capital delivery director for Gatwick, said: "The pandemic gave us the time and reason to rethink our original design. We think we have achieved the best balance possible between cost, operational constraints and durability, whilst reducing the environmental impact of construction."