The Government should consider building an extra runway at Gatwick Airport rather than Stansted, a report from MPs has said.
The MPs added they were "not convinced a national case for an additional runway at Stansted has been made".
From the House of Commons Transport Committee, the report did back the Government's support for a third runway at Heathrow.
But MPs said they were concerned at the "lack of clarity" on the timescale for completion of the expansion project at the west London airport.
The report said there was no evidence that high-speed rail offered a viable alternative to Heathrow expansion. But the committee did call on the Government to ensure the UK's major airports, particularly Heathrow, were connected to a future high-speed rail system.
The committee accused the Government of a "laissez-faire" approach to aviation, saying the industry enjoyed certain taxation advantages but received "little direct public funding".
The MPs also said it was "unsatisfactory that the Government leaves such a key industry to the vagaries of the market".
The report said when setting the level of the Air Passenger Duty airport departure tax, the Government should be mindful of the current vulnerability of the aviation industry.
The MPs said they had tried, and failed, to get the Government to say how much the aviation industry was taxed. The report urged the Government to "clarify this issue".
The committee also repeated its call for the Civil Aviation Authority's Air Travel Organisers' Licensing (Atol) system levy to be increased and extended to cover all international flights and not just package holidays.
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