London's airports at a glance

Britain has a total of five international airports dotted around the capital but capacity is at breaking point for Europe's biggest air transport hub.

The government's decision to back the expansion of Heathrow Airport will be welcomed by the business community but slammed by many local campaigners.

The controversial debate over airport capacity dates back to 2003, when the then Labour government threw its support behind a third runway at Heathrow.

However, there have since been years of delays.

In July 2015, a commission recommended that Britain should build a third runway at Heathrow to ease congestion -- and added that a bid for a second runway at Gatwick to the south of the capital was also "plausible".

Britain then decided in December 2015 to delay its decision in order to assess environmental impact of expansion.

Following the shock EU exit referendum in June, Prime Minister Theresa May's predecessor David Cameron announced that no decision would be made until the autumn.

Here are key facts about the five airport hubs that currently serve London:

Heathrow

Heathrow, London's biggest airport and also one of the world's busiest, is located to the west of the capital.

The hub, which was created in 1946, handled a total of 75 million passengers last year to 185 destinations in 84 countries.

Heathrow currently has four terminals and two runways, with a total workforce of 76,000 people. It is the main base for British Airways.

The hub is owned by a consortium comprising Spanish construction giant Ferrovial and sovereign wealth funds from nations including China, Singapore and Qatar.

Gatwick

Gatwick opened for business in 1958 and has since become the second biggest airport serving London.

Located to the south of the capital, it carries approximately 42 million passengers per year to 200 destinations in 90 countries.

Gatwick has two terminals and one runway and employs 21,00 staff.

Around 50 airlines use the hub, which says it offers more destinations than any other airport in Britain.

Low-cost carrier EasyJet has its largest operation at Gatwick.

The hub is owned by a consortium of investment funds, led by US group Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), and its portfolio also includes Edinburgh airport in Scotland.

Stansted

Stansted, London's third largest hub to the north of the capital, opened in 1991 and has a single runway.

The airport transports some 17.5 million people each year to 150 destinations in 30 countries.

It is also the main British base for Irish no-frills carrier Ryanair.

Stansted's owner is Manchester Airports Group, which also operates Manchester airport in northwestern England.

Luton

Luton is London's fourth largest airport and lies further north than Stansted.

The hub, which has one runway, opened in 1938 and carries some 12.3 million passengers with a workforce of 8,600 people.

The airport is run by Spanish airport operator AENA, alongside French investment firm Ardian.

London City

London City Airport prides itself as being the only London airport to be actually in the confines of the capital.

This airport targets the business community and is based in east London next to the River Thames.

The hub serves a modest four million passengers with 40 destinations in Britain, Europe and the United States. It opened in 1987 and has one runway.

London City Airport was purchased in February 2016 by a host of international investment funds.

In July, an investment of £344 million was unveiled in order to boost its capacity.