The trade body representing UK airports urged ministers to remove uncertainty by backing runway expansion in the southeast.
The Airport Operators Association also called on the government to ensure airline connectivity throughout the UK with a “sustainable planning regime”.
The association welcomed yesterday’s pledge by chancellor George Osborne that a decision on an extra runway will be made in the next 11 weeks.
The Airports Commission recommended in July that a third runway at Heathrow should be the preferred option over a second runway at Gatwick.
The AOA also backed the creation of a national infrastructure commission to be led by former Labour transport secretary Lord Adonis
AOA chief executive, Darren Caplan, said: “We welcome the acknowledgement made by the chancellor that additional runway capacity will be required if the UK is to prosper in future decades, and his confirmation that the government will make a decision on expansion by Christmas.
“This decision has been ducked under successive governments for many years and it is clear the UK faces a capacity crisis unless action is taken, both with respect to building a new runway and making better use of the capacity that we already have.
“It has now been several months since the Airports Commission published its final report and we need ministers to respond quickly to maintain momentum, remove uncertainty and ensure the UK gets the additional capacity it so vitally needs as soon as possible.”
Caplan added: “Under the new national infrastructure commission, we also need a recognition that the UK requires excellent aviation connectivity right across the country, ensuring the UK has both vibrant point to point airports and world class hub capacity, with a sustainable planning regime which allows all airports that wish to grow the opportunity to do so, and which makes best use of existing capacity at all of the UK’s airports.”