BAA (website: www.baa.com) this morning confirmed that it will put Gatwick Airport up for sale following calls from an independent public body.
The airport regulator had been widely expected to sell off one of its three London airports after the Competition Commission ruled last month that it is running a monopoly in the south-east.
Calls for BAA to relinquish a second gateway in the capital – either Heathrow or Stansted – appear so far to have fallen on deaf ears.
Chief executive Colin Matthews insisted that the Gatwick decision had been taken in the best interest of customers, staff and business. He added that operations at its other bases would be unaffected.
Within hours of announcing the sell-off, Virgin Atlantic chief executive Steve Ridgway said that he was delighted at the development, confirming his airline’s interest in making a bid.
“Virgin Atlantic would relish the opportunity to bid for Gatwick as part of a consortium and inject our customer service expertise into any future running of the airport,” he commented.
The Competition Commission has also called on BAA to sell off one of its three Scottish airports – Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen.
