Sempre in tema di FR: multa in Norvegia

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Tra le news su FR spicca anche l'intenzione ulteriormente manifestata ieri da BAA di aumentare i diritti aeroportuali per l'utilizzo di Stansted.
LONDON (AFX) - Landing charges at Stansted Airport are expected to triple under proposals put forward last week by BAA PLC, the UK's largest airports operator, angering the airlines using the airport, according to The Sunday Telegraph.
The move was seen by some as a defensive gesture by BAA as the group gears up to defend itself against a 9 bln stg hostile bid expected within the next two weeks from Grupo Ferrovial SA, the Spanish infrastructure group.
BAA, which also owns Gatwick and Heathrow airports, said it needed the extra income to pay for a 4 bln stg new runway proposed for the Essex airport on which work is due to start in about 2012.
However, the proposal to ramp up charges has caused outrage among the airlines using Stansted, according to the newspaper.
Ryanair Holdings PLC, the largest operator at the airport, this weekend said it would consider legal action if the plan was accepted by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), the airports regulator.
"BAA's plans are massively, blatantly gold-plated. There is just no reason to build the type of facilities they are planning," Jim Callaghan, Ryanair's head of regulatory affairs, is reported as saying.
He claimed the plans were based on flawed predictions of passenger growth that had never been verified by independent forecasts," according to the newspaper. He pointed out that BAA is incentivised to spend as much money as possible rather than invest efficiently.
"BAA gets a 7.75 pct regulated return on money it can spend so it makes sense for them to pull the wool over the CAA's eyes and spend as much as possible because that is how they make their money," Callaghan is quoted as saying. newsdesk@afxnews.com ml/bam

Copyright AFX News Limited 2005

 

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.04.06
CAA FIDDLES WHILE STANSTED BURNS
Ryanair, Europe’s largest low fares airline today (Tuesday, 4th April 2006) renewed its call for the CAA Regulator to take action against the overcharging BAA airport monopoly. For many years now the CAA has fudged ineffectually whilst the BAA overspent on capital projects, giving rise to unnecessary price increases for consumers using the 3 main London airports.

The latest proposals put forward last week by the BAA envisage that charges at Stansted will triple as the BAA spends £4bn on a second runway at Stansted that should cost no more than £1bn.

Commenting on these lunatic price increases being sought by the BAA, Ryanair’s Chief Executive, Michael O’Leary said:

“If ever proof were needed of the abject failure of the CAA to regulate the airport monopoly as it is legally obliged to do – “to promote the reasonable interests of users” - then these latest price increases demonstrate that failure. The very fact that an airport monopoly can seek the trebling of prices from an ineffectual regulator shows that the CAA’s regulatory regime in the UK has failed.

“Ryanair calls again on the UK Government to break up the BAA airport monopoly. If Stansted, Gatwick and Heathrow were competing against each other, then a second runway and terminal would be built at Stansted for less than £1bn and not the crazy £4bn presently being proposed by the BAA.

“If the CAA is unwilling “to promote the reasonable interests of users” and if it fails to restrain the price gouging instincts of the BAA airport monopoly, then the CAA should stand aside and let competition deliver where regulation has so clearly failed”.