Gatwick to spend £1bn - some of it on snowploughs

The new owners of Gatwick airport, a consortium led by the US-based investment firm Global Infrastructure Partners, are spending £1bn on an upgrade at Britain's second busiest airport after Heathrow.

And according to chief executive Stewart Wingate, a bigger chunk than previously expected will now go on new snow-clearing equipment - snowploughs and "Tonka-type" trucks.

Gatwick is clear after a "military operation" to clear the 150,000 tonnes of snow from the runway. But the airport was forced to close for two days, and 120,000 passengers were stranded as a result.

"If you were in my shoes, I am pretty sure over the coming weeks you will be placing more orders for snow-clearing kit," Wingate told the Guardian.

However, he defended the airport's right to close. Those who believe snowier countries are far more efficient than Britain in this regard are wrong.

When he was the chief executive of Budapest airport, heavy snowfalls were a regular occurrence. "Did we close the runways when it snowed? Absolutely we did," said Wingate. "When did we open again? When it stopped snowing. You cannot have planes landing on snowy runways. Last week Geneva was closed too."

Read a full report at the Guardian. ·