London: London’s Heathrow Airport appealed an order to cut airline charges by around 20 per cent per passenger next year to the UK’s antitrust watchdog.
The airport said Wednesday it had submitted an appeal to the Competition and Markets Authority over the Civil Aviation Authority’s decision to drop charges for airlines using the travel hub.
Heathrow and the world’s biggest airlines have clashed over the charges, which are among the highest globally. The CAA said in March the levy should drop to 25.43 pounds ($31.55) per passenger in 2024 from 31.57 pounds. The UK’s competition agency will now need to decide whether to accept the appeal.
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“We believe the CAA has once again focused on driving down charges to airlines, which will not be passed on to passengers, and is undermining the investment needed to deliver the airport service and resilience consumers want,” said a Heathrow spokesperson.
Separately, Virgin Atlantic Airways said it’s also appealing the decision on separate grounds, claiming that the CAA did not go far enough to cut the charges. The airlines argue the charges are not justified given the rapid rebound in flying post-pandemic.
“The CAA did not go far enough in its final determination, resulting in excessive Heathrow charges that expose a fundamentally broken regulatory framework,” a Virgin Atlantic spokesperson said.
The CMA didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
