The project’s viability is strengthened by the fact it will be situated entirely on Gatwick’s land, he said, dampening levels of local opposition.
“We’re not proposing to buy anybody’s house or anybody’s business,” Mr Wingate said.
“If you are proposing something where you’re going to start interfering with railway lines or motorways or buying people’s houses, then it is going to get very costly and complicated to deliver.
“What we’re proposing is to basically build virtually everything on our existing land.”
While stopping short of saying the project will help Gatwick leapfrog Heathrow in the coming years, Mr Wingate was vocal about his intention to lure back one of his rival’s flagship carriers: Virgin Atlantic.
Once a feature of Gatwick’s runways, Sir Richard Branson’s airline quit the airport during Covid amid financial turbulence, basing its operations solely out of Heathrow.
Mr Wingate said he would welcome Virgin back “at the earliest opportunity”.
Alongside Virgin, Mr Wingate is also courting long-haul carriers further afield, with a recent charm offensive leading to the recruitment of Singapore Airlines.
“When I first got here, we had about 30 long-haul routes,” he said. “Stansted had zero and the vast majority were at Heathrow. Today, I think we service around 54 different destinations around the world.
“We’re moving into Asia and India as we think that they are the fastest-growing long-haul markets. If we get a foothold in those markets now, then as they grow Gatwick will become a natural destination for them to service London.”
However, to ensure London retains its crown as a global transportation hub, Mr Wingate said policymakers must also do their job to help the industry. Abolishing the tourist tax would be a good way to start.
“I think the fundamentals of London are as strong as ever,” he said. “But we have to care for it and we have to understand who we are competing against and what they are offering.”