British Airports Authority May Fight Against Being Made to Sell More UK Airports

The Competition Commission is expected to reject the frantic lobbying from the British Airports Authority that they should be permitted to keep both the Stansted Airport and London Heathrow Airport, along with the Edinburgh Airport, Aberdeen Airport, and Glasgow Airport in Scotland. Southampton Airport is also owned by the British Airports Authority.

Expected today, the Competition Commission is anticipated to stand by their position from August that the British Airports Authority may need to sell 3 of their airports in the United Kingdom, which will include 2 of their airports in London, and also either Glasgow or Edinburgh. A final decision is to be made in March.

In response to this, the British Airports Authority, which is controlled by Ferrovial, a Spanish construction group, may go to the Competition Appeal Tribunal for an appeal if the regulators force them to sell 2 more of their 7 airports in the United Kingdom, in addition to the already being sold Gatwick Airport. The group is furious, calling the analysis by the regulators flawed, which may potentially create confusion, uncertainty, and delay at the wrong moment.

The group controls about 90% of all southeast England’s passenger traffic, along with 84% of the passenger traffic in Scotland. The British Airports Authority says that being made to sell the airports will delay the plans of the government to expand the southeast’s runway capacity. Experts think that the group may also have a hard time getting a decent price in return for the airports during the current market.

Visit www.baa.com to find out more about the group.