Yahoo Finance Heathrow or Gatwick – what are the options for increasing capacity?
The Government is to announce a decision on increasing airport capacity in the South East of England within hours, after decades of debate over the issue.
But what are the options under consideration, and why has it taken so long to decide?
We take a look at main questions people are asking.
:: Why do we need more airport capacity in the first place?
The business and tourism communities in the UK have been calling for an increase in airport capacity in the UK for decades.
The main airports in London have been increasing their passenger numbers for years and, without action, they will all be at complete capacity by 2040.
More capacity is also needed if the UK wants to keep up with its promises for expanding trade; Paris currently has more flights to and from China than Britain, despite our pledge for increased trade links with the country.
As a new runway can take over a decade to complete a decision on the issue is needed soon.
:: So why hasn't a decision already been made?
The issue of airport expansion has become a highly political one.
Former PM Gordon Brown announced in 2009 that he would listen to business concerns and expand Heathrow, but David Cameron opposed the idea and after his election he made it clear that he wouldn't be making any hasty decisions.
Instead, he commissioned an investigation into the various options by Sir Howard Davies, the former chair of the Financial Services Authority.
The Airports Commission, also known as the Davies Commission, took almost three years to be completed and narrowed the numerous expansion options down to the following shortlist;
The Commission recommended the first option, arguing that a third Heathrow runway would provide the most benefit to the UK and its economy.
But the final decision is down to the government and it's been put off for over a year thanks to the political uncertainty surrounding the 2015 General Election and the EU referendum in June.
: : What are the pros and cons of each option?
This is the option supported by most of the business community in the UK, as it already forms a vital trade link for exporting abroad.
It could also make the most sense for passengers as Heathrow is very well connected to central London and the surrounding areas via public transport.
The majority of airlines prefer this option too.
But it would also be the most disruptive - building the new runway would require hundreds of homes to be demolished and remaining residents in the vicinity of the airport would be subject to more air and noise pollution.
The M25 motorway around London would also be affected, as it would either have to be buried or encased in a tunnel.
There are also concerns that building the new runway would be so expensive that it could add up to £40 onto the cost of each passenger ticket.
Option two: expanding Heathrow's existing runway
This is considered the least likely option to be chosen.
Although it would be cheaper to build than a third runway and would require fewer homes to be levelled to facilitate it, the idea has never been tested before and it would still involve significant disruption to the road network in the area.
It would also result in almost as many extra flights per day as an entirely new runway, so noise and air pollution would still be a problem.
Option three: a second runway at Gatwick
This option was found by the Davies Commission to be the cheapest and least disruptive - it would cost almost £10bn less to build than the Heathrow alternative and would have much less of an impact on the homes around the airport.
It has also seen much less opposition from MPs (BSE: MPSLTD.BO - news) and the political establishment than a new Heathrow runway.
But it is seen as a solution that would help tourists at the expense of businesses, and the fact that it is much further from London than Heathrow and has less of a public transport provision also lessens its chances of being chosen.
:: So which way do we think the Government is leaning?
It's widely expected that the option of a third runway at Heathrow will be the one selected, with Gatwick invited to expand in other ways as a concessionary prize.
But no one knows for certain until the announcement is made - and that's anticipated to come by the end of this month.
A new third runway at Heathrow
Expanding Heathrow's existing second runway to allow flights to take off and land at the same time
A second runway at Gatwick
