Appeal could delay Edinburgh or Glasgow airport sale - Edinburgh,Glasgow Airport News

Airport news for Edinburgh,Glasgow on 27/08/2009.

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In March, the Competition Commission ruled that BAA, the owner of seven UK airports, would have to sell off three of the airports, including Gatwick and Stansted in London and either Edinburgh or Glasgow in Scotland, in order to increase competition in the sector and improve services to airport customers. The commission has since conceded that the two-year timetable is no longer realistic due to an appeal filed with the Competition Appeal Tribunal.

The airports operator has launched appeals on two points, including a claim of bias and a complaint that the commission did not take into account the impact of selling off the airports in the current economic climate.

It is expected that the appeal will begin in October and unlikely and is unlikely to be concluded before the spring of next year. Even if the tribunal upholds the findings of the commission, however, BAA would still have the option of pursuing the matter through the courts – and that would most likely put back the sale of one of the Scottish airports to 2013.

A commission spokesman would not provide details regarding the case, but did say that it was now “unrealistic” to expect that all three airports would be sold within the stipulated two year period.

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