Ryanair Calls on the BAA Mono

RNS Number : 6261D

Ryanair Holdings PLC

17 September 2008

 



RYANAIR CALLS ON THE BAA MONOPOLY TO SELL STANSTED

(AND ONE OF THE SCOTTISH AIRPORTS AS WELL)

Ryanair today (Wednesday, 17th September 2008) called on the BAA airport monopoly to comply with the UK Competition Authority's preliminary findings, and put Stansted and at least one of the Scottish airports up for sale immediately. Ryanair believes that this morning's announcement by the BAA that it was putting Gatwick up for sale is just the latest attempt by this monopoly to hang on to Stansted, and to continue to overspend on facilities which users don't want and further increase Stansted's high charges while providing an abject service to airlines and passengers.  The UK Competition Commission had already found that the BAA Stansted monopoly has been bad for competition and bad for consumers.

Speaking this morning in Dublin, Ryanair's Michael O'Leary said:

'This morning's announcement that the BAA monopoly is putting Gatwick up for sale is just the latest attempt by the BAA monopoly to get itself off the hook of the Competition Commission's recommendations.  Airlines and passengers have been abused for many years with high prices and abysmal service at all of the BAA's London and Scottish airports and the 'trick' of selling off Gatwick won't end this abusive monopoly. Ryanair calls on the Competition Commission and the UK Government to take early steps to force the early sale of Stansted and at least one of the Scottish airports, so that real competition can be introduced in time for Summer 2009, and the BAA airport monopoly (which has finally been exposed by the Competition Commission as being bad for consumers and bad for competition) - can at last be broken up.

'The BAA monopoly wants to hang on to Heathrow and Stansted, because this is where they continue to propose gold plated Taj Mahal facilities in the hope that its useless regulator, the CAA , will continue to reward it with above inflation price increases as it delivers a third rate service to airlines and passengers  The sale of Stansted will lead to the earlier development of a second runway and terminal because these will be designed to meet the needs of users. It will also end the current grotesque spectacle that the principal objectors to Stansted's Taj Mahal planning applications are the Stansted airlines themselves who are unanimously opposed to the gold plated waste being proposed by the BAA monopoly which does not meet the needs of users.

'Users at Stansted who continue to suffer long queues at security and at passport control, as well as above inflation price increases, continue to call for the urgent sale of Stansted. As the BAA's August figures show, Stansted's traffic continues to decline, as traffic and tourism is damaged by the high cost, mismanagement of the BAA airport monopoly, who have shown nothing but contempt for Stansted's airlines and passengers in recent months'.

Ends.                                                                                    Wednesday, 17th September 2008

For further information

please contact:                      Stephen McNamara             Pauline McAlester

                                               Ryanair Ltd                          Murray Consultants

                                               Tel: [phone]            Tel. [phone]

 

END

 

 

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