Heathrow airport told to cut landing charges

Heathrow has criticised the CAA’s decision that its landing fees should fall over the next few years.

CEO John Holland-Kaye said it will mean a worse experience for passengers: “As the industry rebuilds, our focus is to work alongside airlines and their ground handlers to give passengers a reliable and consistent journey through Heathrow.

“The CAA continues to underestimate what it takes to deliver a good passenger service, both in terms of the level of investment and operating costs required and the fair incentive needed for private investors to finance it. Uncorrected, these elements of the CAA’s proposal will only result in passengers getting a worse experience at Heathrow as investment in service dries up.”

The Guardian reported Holland-Kaye also claims that the CAA’s ruling raises “serious questions about Britain’s attractiveness to private investors” [Heathrow is owned by a consortium of shareholders, led by Spanish infrastructure group Ferrovial and Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund].

And he’s not given up changing the CAA’s mind, it seems: “We will take time to assess the CAA’s proposal in more detail and will provide a further evidence-based response to this latest consultation. There is still time for the CAA to get this right with a plan that puts passengers first and encourages everyone in the industry to work together to better serve the travelling public.”