Gatwick Airport has submitted its list of suggested criteria the Airports Commission should use to determine which airport locations would be suitable for further study.

Gatwick’s recommended evaluation criteria includes: demand, capacity and connectivity, environmental impacts, competition, financial and economic issues, social and community issues, the end-to-end passenger experience, resilience and deliverability.

While Gatwick is broadly supportive of the Airport Commission’s proposed criteria, the airport recommends that greater emphasis should be placed on the passenger experience, and to competition being a key enabler of that.

Gatwick also considers that resilience should be a factor in its own right in view of the importance of improving the levels of resilience across the London airports.

Stewart Wingate, Gatwick chief executive said: “The aviation industry and how passengers choose to travel is very different today to what is was when previous runway capacity options were reviewed.

“We now have the three largest London airports all in separate ownership competing for passengers and airlines, and each with the freedom to connect the UK to anywhere in the world and keep Britain competitive.

“That means we must adapt our thinking around what is possible and the assessment criteria must reflect that.

“We strongly recommend that the Airport Commission factor in competition, resilience and the passenger experience when assessing which options will deliver the right outcome for London and the UK.

“We have the opportunity to reach the best outcome for a generation and to do this we must use the most appropriate evaluation criteria.”