The Civil Aviation Authority (website: CAA) has added its voice to the chorus demanding that BAA sell off three of its airports.
Several airlines had already backed the Competition Commission’s preliminary report, which concluded that the Spanish-owned regulator has a monopoly on airports in the south-east of England.
As a consequence BAA recently said it is looking for a buyer for Gatwick Airport, but calls to sell off another London airport along with one in Scotland have so far gone unheeded.
Weighing in on the debate, the CAA has now firmly come out on the side of the commission, echoing its warning that BAA’s dominance is hindering competition and delaying investment.
It insisted that selling off two London airports and a Scottish base would be to the “benefit of passengers, airlines and the wider UK economy,” adding that the case for break-up is even “stronger than currently argued by the Competition Commission”.
The CAA added that it welcomes BAA’s pledge to sell Gatwick Airport, though it insisted that the move is “only the first step”.
