Managers at Nottingham East Midlands Airport (NEMA) have been ordered by the government to provide detailed plans about the site's future development. The Transport Secretary, Alistair Darling, has called for the airport to publish a so-called masterplan by the end of the year.
It will include details about the impact of development on communities near the airport and the environment.
The government also wants to look at the future for road and rail links.
The demand follows a failed application for a second runway at the Castle Donington site.