London's Gatwick airport has been granted permission by its local council to operate the Airbus A380.
Gatwick, which has already invested £43 million ($67.6 million) in six new large aircraft stands - two of which can accommodate the A380 - said yesterday that it received planning permission to host the aircraft from Crawley Borough Council.
The airport, which was acquired late last year by Global Infrastructure Partners, is undergoing a £1 billion revamp. It aims to increase annual passenger numbers to 40 million from the current 32.5 million by 2018.
"If we can bring the A380 and other large aircraft to Gatwick, passengers will have even more reason to choose to fly to and from our airport and help us on our journey to becoming the London airport of choice," says Gatwick chief executive Stewart Wingate.
Source: Air Transport Intelligence news
