CAA to examine Heathrow domestic flight charges
06.07.11
The Civil Aviation Authority has announced today that it is to formally investigate whether the increase in domestic passenger charges at Heathrow has unfairly impacted some airlines, following a complaint by airline BMI.
The domestic passenger charge at Heathrow rose to more than £20 per passenger from £13 in April. BMI said it had been forced to suspend daily flights between Glasgow and Heathrow from the end of March because rises in charges at Heathrow had made the route unsustainable.
The airline said domestic passenger charges at Heathrow are now similar to those on an international flight to an EU destination, despite the fact that domestic passengers do not use facilities such as customs and immigration.
BMI complained to the CAA in January that Heathrow had ‘unreasonably discriminated’ by equalising domestic and European passenger charges. The CAA said in a statement today that, following initial investigations, it had decided to move to a formal inquiry, on the grounds that Heathrow's justification for the charges ‘need to be transparently and objectively substantiated’.
The CAA asked for representations airlines and interested parties by 6 September. It hopes to publish a final ruling by the end of October. A spokesman said that if the complaint is upheld, it would not impose a financial sanction on BAA, but could force the company to change its charging structure.
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