The government has been urged not to waste time on a proposal for a £40bn Thames Estuary airport when options are drawn up for increasing aviation capacity.

Stewart Wingate, Gatwick chief executive, said Gatwick and Heathrow should be the only two options short-listed when Sir Howard Davies's Airports Commission reports next month.

Mr Wingate said in an interview: "Boris Island? I don't think we should waste time on it.

"The business case at Stansted looks impossible and the airport is less than half full today, it’s not the right time for Stansted so your choice really comes down to Gatwick and Heathrow."

Stewart Wingate said his airport and Heathrow are the only two "real" candidates for expansion and Sir Howard should narrow down the field to a two-horse race "as soon as possible".

Otherwise, communities faced long-term uncertainty and blight for years, he said.

"What we actually think should happen is at the earliest opportunity Sir Howard should narrow that short-list," he said.

It would be a "bit of a catastrophe" if too many unrealistic options remained on the table.

"The sooner you can actually see the real options the better," he said. The Davies Commission is due to report with initial recommendations in December and about 25 different proposals are under consideration.

Gatwick believes it has the capacity for a new runway but would not be able to build it before 2019.

It has argued the option would be less costly than other schemes, including the expansion of Heathrow.

It estimates a new runway would cost between £5bn and £9bn and could be built and ready for use in 2025.