BAA launches next stage in fight against sell-off

Airports operator BAA has vowed to fight on in its battle against a ruling that it must sell Stansted and either Edinburgh or Glasgow airport.

The operator, which also owns Heathrow and has already sold Gatwick, said it will launch an appeal with the Competition Appeal Tribunal today.

It marks the latest stage in legal wranglings which have been rumbling on since 2009 when BAA was ordered to sell some of its airports by the Competition Commission.

The commission’s original ruling found there were problems which adversely affected passengers and airlines at all seven BAA airports, which also include Southampton and Aberdeen.

It said Gatwick would have to be sold first, followed by Stansted and then either Edinburgh or Glasgow, with BAA being left to choose which of the two Scottish airports it would dispose of.

It is thought that the group, owned by Spanish infrastructure giant Ferrovial, would ultimately opt to sell Glasgow due to the recent stronger performance of Edinburgh, although it has consistently fought the ruling and has not indicated a preference.

BAA claimed earlier this year that there had been material changes since the commission first made its decision, including its sale of Gatwick for £1.5 billion to Global Infrastructure Partners.

It also said the UK government’s decision not to build any more runways in the south-east of England for the foreseeable future should have a bearing on its original decision. When the commission’s investigation started in 2007, it was feared that BAA’s strong presence in the region could slow any future development of runways.

Today’s appeal is against the last decision by the Competition Commission, in July, when it found there had been no material changes that would have altered its original ruling.