BAA responds to Competition Commission statement

Tina Milton

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Airports group BAA has defended its position following a statement issued by the Competition Commission yesterday

Airports group BAA has responded to the Competition Commission’s statement issued yesterday as part of its market investigation of the company’s supply of airport services in the UK.

BAA chief executive Stephen Nelson commented: "Many of the issues identified by the Commission today have complex and deep-seated causes that require careful consideration. We welcome the opportunity to state our case to the Commission, and we remain confident that we will demonstrate that BAA’s ownership of airports in the South East and Scotland is in the interests of passengers. BAA accepts that the experience of too many passengers using London airports is unsatisfactory. But the problems of congestion and delay which affect passengers have their roots in lack of terminal and runway capacity, not the ownership structure of BAA.”

He continued: "What London airports especially need is investment to improve the passenger experience. We have tabled ambitious plans to transform our airports and are willing to spend heavily to deliver these solutions. We are working hard to win permission to build new runway capacity at Stansted and Heathrow. We are also investing significant sums in improving the passenger experience by recruiting additional staff, investing in new equipment and transforming some of our existing terminals.

"What London airports do not need are structural changes that will seriously delay the delivery of the investment that is urgently needed to improve the passenger experience and increase capacity.BAA and its owners have the will and the ability to make the investment London airports need. We in turn need continued political support for our growth plans, and a commercial and regulatory framework that offers sensible incentives for investment."