The Competition Commission is preparing to release the results of its investigation onto whether airport owner BAA should be broken up.
The long-awaited report could end BAA’s monopoly control by leading to the sale of Heathrow, Gatwick or Stansted. The findings will be welcomed by many major airlines including British Airways, Bmi and Virgin Atlantic, who have all criticised BAA’s monopoly, claiming it has led to poor customer service. BAA has also been criticised for its out of date design and inadequate regulation by some critics.
Each of the airlines has different hopes for the future of some of the UK’s biggest airports. It is understood that British Airways is in favour of a sale of Stansted, whilst Virgin and Bmi have proposed that Gatwick should be sold. Virgin Atlantic has also requested that individual Heathrow terminals be sold in order to boost competition.
Although the Commission will not make its recommendations until August this year, its “emerging thinking” will be outlined next week, and early signs in favour of a break up of BAA could cause the airport operator to take immediate action by starting a sale of one of its airports, rather than waiting for its hand to be forced.
