Well he could significantly expand airport capacity in the Southeast - which some would argue is already overcrowded anyway - he could build new runways at Heathrow, Stansted, Luton and/or Gatwick. A radical proposal could be for a whole new airport.... the most likely place for that being Cliffe in Kent. However, the focus won't be just on the SouthEast - growth is also expected to be encouraged elsewhere: Birmingham Airport could be expanded or even moved east of the city. Glasgow or Edinburgh could be developed into hubs.

Click here to watch our interview with John Stewart.

"It will mean more planes and more noise."

It will mean more planes, more noise. The proposed additional runway at Heathrow will mean many more Londoners will experience misery. For the first time local community groups, environment and academic groups are joining together to fight this.

Click here to watch our interview with Baroness Dean

"We can't put a lid on expansion."

We need an expansion in the South-East. We need to use our regional airports more. Tourism, jobs and environmental issues are important things to balance. Safety and security are things we have to also consider. We can't put a lid on expansion, it will affect our competitiveness and would not create jobs. We need to use technology to produce quieter planes.

UK air passenger numbers are expected to more than double from 180m a year to 400m by 2020, making some expansion of capacity seem likely.

There are suggestions a new airport could be built near the River Thames at Cliffe in north Kent.

A new runway at Gatwick is another idea that could be suggested but any changes there are likely to be delayed until 2019 when a non-expansion agreement runs out.

Southampton and Luton airports could also see expansion.

The government's consultation document could propose converting defunct RAF bases into civilian airports.

RAF Finningley in Yorkshire is one of the bases that has been touted.

If converted it could provide an international airport for Doncaster.

New Transport Secretary Alistair Darling will unveil the proposals, which come from a series of regional studies, to MPs on Tuesday.

White Paper

The proposals will go out to consultation ahead of the publication of the government's White Paper on aviation due next year.

"Doing nothing is not an option," said a Whitehall source.

But Friends of the Earth attacked the proposals even before they had been made public, saying the government's regional studies were "flawed and rigged".

New campaign group AirportWatch, which launched last week, said the government should be looking at reducing the amount of air travel as the increased demand simply could not be met.

Any preferences?

The Heathrow anti-noise group Hacan ClearSkies said: "You would have thought that Labour would have worked out an aviation policy having been in power for more than five years."

The group added that the government had "preferences but are just testing the water.

Mr Darling address MPs on Tuesday

"The government should look seriously at a coastal airport option, but they could be putting Cliffe in only to rule it out later."

"We would be utterly opposed to an extra, third runway at Heathrow.

"We believe airlines, particularly British Airways, are putting pressure on to get a third Heathrow runway, but that the government prefers an extra runway at Stansted."

British Airways chief executive Rod Eddington said: "I hope the government will publish its White Paper soon - committing to building much-needed infrastructure.

"Government knows that we in the UK are falling behind mainland Europe. I hope it will rectify this."