The Davies Airport Commission has announced its shortlist of options for additional UK airport capacity.
They include adding a third runway at Heathrow, lengthening an existing runway at Heathrow and building a second runway at Gatwick.
The commission will also consider a new airport in the Isle of Grain in north Kent. It rules out building a new airport in the Thames Estuary and expanding Stansted.
The final report is expected by the summer of 2015, and the commission has said the UK will need at least one extra runway in south-east England by 2030.
Willie Walsh, chief executive of International Airlines Group, said: “The Davies Commission continues to produce detailed analysis of the issues but its efforts will be wasted without political consensus.”