There are flights to London, Dublin, Cork and Jersey from Swansea

Council leader Lawrence Bailey had warned that the authority's legal department was ready to challenge an assembly move to stop councillors ruling on plans for two new hangers at the site.

But the Welsh assembly's Environment, Planning and Countryside Minister Carwyn Jones has decided the planning application does not raise any issues that warrant assembly intervention.

The application will now be considered on Tuesday with council officers recommending it is approved.

We see the airport as an important part of the up and coming economy of Swansea Council leader Lawrence Bailey

Councillors were due to look at the application earlier this month but were stopped by a last-minute fax from the assembly which issued an Article 14 Stopper.

It prevented councillors from approving the application although they were still able to discuss it or refuse it.

Councillor Bailey had said the airport played a key role in developing the south west Wales economy and he feared assembly intervention could mean the application being delayed by up to six months.

"We do not want this application hanging around for too long as we see the airport as an important part of the up-and-coming economy of Swansea," he said at the time.

Some Gower residents have been campaigning against the redevelopment of Swansea Airport, which is home to Air Wales.

They say its location on Gower, the first area in Wales to be designated an area of outstanding natural beauty, is totally unsuitable.

Services to London, Cork, Dublin and Jersey have been launched in the last two years and Air Wales wants to use the aircraft hangars to service its planes.

Swansea Council owns the airport site at Fairwood which it leases to Air Wales.