The appeal hearing is set to take five days

The airport owners' appeal against a government decision blocking their bid for a terminal will now be heard from 21 July instead of in early October.

Airport chief executive Chris Ophanou said it was "excellent news".

A public inquiry in 2007 found a new terminal would have an adverse impact on noise in the area but the airport claims the decision was legally flawed.

The airport said its legal team had secured the new date for the five-day appeal.

Mr Ophanou said: "We want to put our argument forward as to why the decision of the secretaries of state was flawed and get on with building our business for the good of Coventry, Warwickshire and the region as a whole."

However, Archy Muir, who chairs the residents' group opposing the airport's expansion, said the airport would not win its appeal and would waste "an awful lot of money" trying.

Airport protesters said the new terminal, which would be able to handle up to two million passengers a year, raised issues of noise and pollution.