ABSTRACT
At the time of writing, the co-ownership of three major London airports by BAA is subject to scrutiny by the UK competition authorities, a process that started in June 2006 when the UK Office of Fair Trading (OFT) announced that it was conducting a marketing study into the airports sector to see whether enhanced competition between airports would lead to greater benefits to consumers. The outcome of that initial study (OFT 2006) was the view that BAA’s southeast airports could, under separate ownership, compete to attract air passengers and that a full inquiry into BAA’s structure was justified. This inquiry is being undertaken by the Competition Commission and is expected to conclude some time in 2008.
