Chief executive officer at Gatwick Airport Stewart Wingate believes building a second runway at the site would be the "right thing for the region".

His comments came during the recent Gatwick Diamond Economic Growth Forum, which was aimed at giving business leaders an opportunity to talk about factors that are affecting their firms, the Crawley and Horley Observer reports.

The Airports Commission is still considering the best ways to boost airport capacity in the south-east of England, with some quarters calling for a brand new airport in the Thames Estuary, while others favour an expansion of Heathrow.

However, Mr Wingate feels that extending Gatwick is the most suitable solution.

"We think if we play our cards right then there's no reason when we get into 2015 we should not be in pole position as the best option," he was quoted as saying.

Gatwick is certainly getting busier and airport chiefs recently predicted that more than 790,000 passengers would fly from the facility during the May half-term holiday.