The British government has postponed a decision on where to expand London airport capacity. (Representational image)
The British government on Thursday said it had postponed a decision on where to expand London airport capacity until the middle of next year.
An earlier commission had recommended the expansion of Heathrow airport, but that has met fierce resistance from some lawmakers and environmental groups.
"The government has accepted the case for airport expansion in the southeast and the Airports Commission's shortlist of options for expansion," Prime Minister David Cameron's office said in a statement.
"The government will undertake a package of further work and we anticipate that it will conclude over the summer."
Business groups have lobbied for Heathrow, Europe's busiest airport, to be extended, but hundreds of homes would have to be demolished and the extra air traffic could mean Britain fails to meet emissions targets.