BAA to be forced to sell 3 airports
17.12.08
BAA will almost certainly be forced to sell three of its seven UK airports following a provisional report by the Competition Commission (CC). The commission confirmed that, subject to final consultation, it would require the airport operator to sell Gatwick, Stansted and Edinburgh Airport.
The watchdog, which will publish a final report before the end of March, said the move was necessary to improve levels of service at UK airports. It also plans to introduce measures to ensure investment and services levels at Heathrow improved for airlines and passengers.
BAA said it did not believe there was enough evidence to support the decision to force a sale of Stansted or Edinburgh. Chief executive Colin Matthews said: ‘We do not believe that the CC has set out compelling evidence to support its view that selling Stansted as well as Gatwick will increase competition and we remain concerned that its proposed remedies may actually delay the introduction of new runway capacity.'
‘In Scotland, the Commission has not provided any substantial evidence to support its view that Edinburgh and Glasgow would compete under separate ownership, and we believe there is no justification for specifying which of these airports should be sold. We will continue to make our case to the Commission.’
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