The Commons Transport Committee has stated that a new runway at Gatwick could be a feasible alternative to possible Stansted expansion.
A new runway at Stansted would be unlikely to be finished before 2019, which is when a restriction on Gatwick expansion is due to end. Until that point, a second Gatwick runway would be impossible, but the committee believe that if there were to be increased flight volumes from the South-East, Gatwick would be a more suitable airport that would be capable of handling increased traveller numbers.