Airport charges to remain level

Keeping an eye on the airports

Travellers will be relieved to learn that airport charges by the owners of London’s Gatwick and Heathrow will remain at the same level until the end of March 2014 following a ruling by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).  Any increase would have inevitably have been passed onto the airlines and hence passengers.

The regulator said that the move will provide an opportunity for the next price controls to be developed in line with the Government’s reforms for airport economic regulation.

The Government’s proposal include introducing a new licensing regime for airports with “significant market power,” in line with other economic regulators.  This allows regulation to be tailored to meet the requirements of individual airports, rather than the current “one size fits all” approach being applied to the designated airports.

“This will enable the CAA to better target regulatory activity where and when it is needed to protect the interests of passengers,” the authority said.

The current 5-year regime of price controls was set to run until end-March 2013. www.caa.co.uk

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