BAA loses court appeal against sale of Stansted

Airport operator BAA must sell London Stansted after a court yesterday dismissed its appeal against a ruling by the competition watchdog.

The decision is the latest twist in a battle between the Spanish-owned group and the Competition Commission (CC) stretching back to 2009 when it ruled that BAA exerted a dominant hold on airports in Scotland and the south-east of England.

Late last year the CC ordered the firm to sell either Edinburgh or Glasgow airport before it disposes of Stansted. BAA put Edinburgh up for sale but asked for a judicial review of the ruling on London’s fourth-busiest airport.

Laura Carstensen, a member of the original CC inquiry in 2009, said: “BAA is in the process of selling Edinburgh airport following our ruling. We will now press ahead to ensure that this is followed promptly by the sale of Stansted airport.”