Gatwick airport’s £2.2bn second runway plan has been given the go-ahead by the transport secretary, Heidi Alexander.
With the privately financed project, the West Sussex hub is aiming to increase its capacity by 100,000 flights a year.
Gatwick will move its emergency runway 12 metres north, enabling it to be used for departures of narrow-bodied planes such as Airbus A320s and Boeing 737s.
The new runway is expected to add 14,000 jobs and as much as £1bn in extra economic activity.
Alexander backed the scheme as a “no-brainer” for economic growth, a government source said on Sunday, suggesting flights could take off from the new full runway by 2029.
The cabinet minister is satisfied with adjustments made, covering issues such as noise mitigation and the proportion of passengers who would travel to and from the airport by public transport.
The Planning Inspectorate initially rejected the airport’s application and earlier this year recommended Alexander should approve the project if the changes were made.
The government has tried to head off complaints previously raised by opponents and has set targets for more passengers to use public transport to travel to and from the airport, known as “mode share”, although these are not likely to be legally binding, the Guardian understands.
A government source said Gatwick and its funders would also offer local residents affected by the extra noise financial support that could range from paying for triple-glazing, to paying estate agent fees and stamp duty for people who want to move away.
Officials believe the plans will be sufficiently legally robust to withstand challenges from environmental groups. The government is planning to set out its belief that the expansion will be possible without breaching the UK’s carbon budget.
A government source said: “The transport secretary has cleared Gatwick expansion for take-off. With capacity constraints holding back business, trade and tourism, this is a no-brainer for growth.
“This government has taken unprecedented steps to get this done, navigating a needlessly complex planning system, which our reforms will simplify in future.
“It is possible that planes could be taking off from a new full runway at Gatwick before the next general election.
“Any airport expansion must be delivered in line with our legally binding climate change commitments and meet strict environmental requirements.”
The shadow transport secretary, Richard Holden, welcomed the decision to approve Gatwick’s second runway.
He said: “If done with sensible mitigations, it will be a vital step towards driving economic growth, improving connectivity, and strengthening Britain’s position on the global stage. But let’s be clear, this decision should have been made months ago.”
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But Zack Polanski described ministers’ support of a second Gatwick runway as a “disaster”. The Green party leader said: “It ignores basic climate science and risks undermining efforts to tackle the climate crisis.
“Labour keeps wheeling out the same nonsense about growth, but at what cost? What this really means is more pollution, more noise for local communities, and no real economic benefit.”
Local campaigners opposed to expansion are concerned about the impact on surface transport, noise, housing provision and wastewater treatment, but the airport insists it has conducted “full and thorough assessments” of those issues.
Cagne, an umbrella aviation community and environment group for Sussex, Surrey and Kent, said it stood ready to serve a judicial review funded by residents and environmental bodies.
The group said: “We know this government cares little for the environmental impact aviation is having on our planet and Gatwick’s neighbours, but not to demand that Gatwick pays for the infrastructure, the onsite wastewater treatment plant, and noise impact is unlawful in our book.”
The Stay Grounded campaign said the approval “prioritises the profit of a few at the expense of us all”.
Friends of the Earth’s head of campaigns, Rosie Downes, said: “With emissions from aviation rising as climate extremes increasingly batter the planet with more intense floods, droughts and wildfires, it’s a struggle to see how the government can conclude expansion at Gatwick is a wise move.”
In July, Heathrow submitted plans for a third runway as part of a £50bn investment, with the government insisting that expanding Europe’s largest airport could create 100,000 jobs and drive growth.
The two-mile (3.2km) runway expansion would cross a diverted M25 and allow more than 750 additional flights a day over London, helping bring the total annual number of passengers to 150 million.
