Русская версияThe commission, which monitors competition standards, said in a
preliminary report issued Wednesday and due to be confirmed in
April, that the airport operator should sell two of its airports --
a choice between Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted.
The watchdog also recommended that BAA give up one of its two
Scottish airports, Edinburgh or Glasgow.
In total, BAA runs seven
British airports.
The final decision over the future of the airports would be taken
in April, said the commission, which had found that the undivided
ownership of Britain's leading airports was having "adverse
consequences" on air traffic for passengers and airlines.
Reacting to the report, BAA chief Colin Matthews insisted the
company would not sell Heathrow, yet he conceded the watchdog's
findings on "poor service" and "frustration" for passengers.
German firm watching BAA situation
In Germany, Essen-based company Hochtief said it continued to have
a "great interest" in Gatwick, the UK's second-largest airport.
Hochtief is Germany's largest construction company with
subsidiaries in the US and Australia.
However, it remained unclear at this time when and under which
conditions the company would get involved, a company spokeswoman
said.
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BAA-owned Stansted Airport may be up for sale in the near future
She said the company would also be interested in other BAA airports
should they become available.
"We will look at all of them," she said, adding that further
advances were expected in the coming months.
Hochtief had said in the past it wanted to expand its operations
and concessions business which also includes airports. The company
is currently considering stakes in airports in Riga, St. Petersburg
and Prague.
Delays, service standards to blame
BAA, which belongs to Spanish multinational Grupo Ferrovial, has
come under pressure in recent years over delays and service
standards at its airports. The report especially blamed the company
for slow responses to passenger concerns and the failure to expand
its airports' capacities.
The company reacted by accusing the competition watchdog of errors
in judgment and said an airport sale would be counterproductive.
Airlines including Ryanair, Virgin Atlantic Airways and EasyJet
welcomed the commission's findings.
British airport operator Manchester Airport Group also expressed
interest in one of the three London hubs, which process 90 percent
of all air traffic into London.
The group, which operates airports in Manchester, Bournemouth, East
Midlands and Humberside, said it was considering "one or more" BAA
airports.
(Deutsche Welle)
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