Originally Posted by
Super VC-10
There's no "by the back door" about it. There was an agreement in place, which has expired or is to expire very soon. Without any new agreement, Gatwick should be free to use both runways subject to the necessary approvals.
Leaving aside the other issues, it appears that the "by the back door" accusation is a reference to the (then) BAA's 1979 undertaking that they would not begin construction before 2019 of anything that could ultimately become an operational runway in its own right, and West Sussex CC's agreement, based on that understanding, that they would not in turn object to the construction of the emergency runway.