The UK's second busiest airport, which handles 35million passengers a year, is being put on the market by its owners BAA following a report from the Competition Commission.
The report identified `significant competition problems' because of the firm's dominant position and proposed it ceases running two of its three London airports.
Spanish-owned BAA runs Gatwick, Heathrow, Stansted, Southampton and Scotland's three biggest airports.
Manchester Airport Group (MAG), which is owned by the ten local authorities of Greater Manchester, could submit a joint bid with Sir Richard Branson's airline Virgin Atlantic.
A MAG spokesperson said: "Our position on potential acquisitions remains unchanged following today's decision by BAA to sell London Gatwick Airport.
"MAG remains interested in one or more of BAA's airports if an acquisition would add value for our shareholders.
"We are an experienced, UK-owned airport operator with a very strong track record in investing in the customer experience, delivering efficient operations.
"We take a partnership approach to our business relationships, we manage our costs effectively and have a world-leading environmental performance."
MAG, which operates Manchester, Bournemouth, East Midlands and Humberside airports, was first out the blocks earlier this year in the race to take over airports that BAA is likely to sell.
The group is also known to be interested in Glasgow Airport - where it could face a battle with the Dutch-based Schiphol Group - as well Edinburgh Airport.
BAA chief executive Colin Matthews said: "Gatwick has long been an important and valuable part of BAA and the decision to sell was not taken lightly.
"We believe that the airport's customers, staff and business will benefit from the earliest possible resolution of current uncertainty.
"When the Competition Commission published its provisional findings, we said that we would be realistic in our response, though we disagree with the Commission's report and the analysis on which it is founded."
He said the group wanted to continue to operate its three other South East airports, which include Southampton, and its three Scottish hubs.
But this could fall foul of the Competition Commission's eventual recommendations.
In provisional findings issued last month from the long-running inquiry into BAA's position, the commission said it was likely to order BAA to sell Gatwick - estimated to ne worth £2b - and Stansted Airports in southern England and one of either Glasgow or Edinburgh Airports.
BAA is owned by Spanish giant Ferrovial, which bought the firm in 2006.
Virgin Atlantic immediately threw its hat into the ring, saying it would be happy to join a bidding consortium for the airport, which is valued at £1.8bn but is likely to fetch between £2bn and £3bn.
A series of international firms have already reportedly expressed an interest.
Gatwick is the busiest single-runway airport in the world, hosting 80 airlines and managing 262,000 air transport movements per year. It employs more than 25,000 people, around 2,400 of whom work for BAA.
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DaveB, Manchester (17/09/2008 at 10:48)