Heathrow Is Preferred Runway Choice, Sources

Heathrow is expected to be named as the preferred site for London's new runway, according to Sky News sources.

The report into expansion plans will be published later, after three years of investigations by the Airports Commission.

Three options have been considered - a third runway at Heathrow, extending an existing one, or building a second runway at Gatwick.

It is expected that ministers will take some time to study the recommendations before making the final decision.

It has been claimed any decision will be delayed until after the Mayoral election next May.

Conservative MP Zac Goldsmith, who is trying to win his party's nomination for the mayoral election, is opposed to Heathrow expansion, while the airport's future has split Labour's leading candidates.

Local opponents of Heathrow expansion say hundreds of thousands more people would suffer from noise and increased traffic congestion.

They also claim it would also worsen air pollution, from plane fumes and traffic on the M4 and M25 motorways.

Local residents campaigning against a new runway at Gatwick say expansion there will cause increased noise, pollution, new flightpaths and traffic congestion, hitting the area's heritage and natural landscapes.

Green groups do not want a new runway at either airport.

"It's simply not credible for the Government to build a new runway in the South East (HKSE: 0726.HK - news) and still claim to be serious about tackling climate change," said Andrew Pendleton of Friends Of The Earth.

"We can't preach to the world about stopping catastrophic climate change on the one hand and send aviation emissions soaring on the other."

Greenpeace UK executive director John Sauven said: "The solution is not to build more tarmac strips but to manage demand."

The commission received more than 50,000 responses during a 12-week consultation on the three proposals which ended in February.