Mr Clegg wanted the party to be able to support a new runway at Gatwick in future if it came up during talks about forming a new coalition, but members at the Lib Dem conference in Glasgow have rejected the idea.
Tim Farron denied that the vote has undermined the deputy prime minister in any way, he said: "It's important that when we make promises to the public we keep them and I think that's the way conference decided and we just have to get on with that. I think we're all pretty relaxed about it. It's good that we had the debate and you wouldn't get that anywhere else because the leadership would just tell people what to do."
Paul Halliday from the Liberal Democrat Christian Forum, who is at the party's conference in Glasgow, also ruled out rumours of a rift forming between the party and its embattled leader.
Speaking to Premier, he said: "We're all committed behind Nick. We're saying this is the way forward; what we need to focus on is getting our message to the electorate and showing them the difference that we're making to people's lives."
Meanwhile, every coal-fired power station in the UK would be shut down from 2025 if the Lib Dems are part of the next government.
The energy secretary told the party's conference in Glasgow that coal was the "real climate destroyer".
Ed Davey also confirmed plans to make an extra £100 million available to fund energy-saving home improvements.
Paul Halliday from the Liberal Democrat Christian Forum said: