Gatwick airport is to start development of its second runway after campaigners lost a legal challenge to the plans. The court of appeal on Tuesday dismissed a bid by local campaign groups to challenge an earlier high court ruling that the scheme could proceed. It is now among the busiest single-runway airports in the world, and hopes to have the second runway in operation as early as 2030. The government declared the court ruling a “major milestone for Gatwick and for local communities”. Meanwhile, Luton Rising, the council-owned company behind Luton airport, announced that all legal challenges to its expansion plans had now been cleared.