RYANAIR WELCOMES CALL TO BREA

RNS Number : 7021B

Ryanair Holdings PLC

20 August 2008

 



RYANAIR WELCOMES COMPETITION COMMISSION'S CALL

TO BREAKUP BAA AIRPORT MONOPOLY 

Ryanair, Britain's largest passenger airline, today (Wednesday, 20th August 2008) welcomed the UK Competition Commission's recommendation for the breakup of the BAA monopoly over the London airports, which will result in the three main airports, Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted, being able to compete against each other to provide low cost, efficient facilities and also lower prices and better services for consumers.  

Ryanair has long called for the breakup of this abusive monopoly, which ignores the needs of airlines and the travelling public and charges rip off prices for abysmal services.  The Competition Commission's Preliminary Report confirms that this monopoly has been bad for competition and bad for consumers. It also confirms that the CAA has failed to properly regulate the BAA monopoly.  

Ryanair has called on the UK Government to implement the Competition Commission's recommendations and break-up the BAA monopoly as soon as possible.

Speaking today in London, Ryanair's Director of Legal & Regulatory Affairs, Jim Callaghan, said:

'Ryanair welcomes the Competition Commission's comprehensive report into the market power of the BAA monopoly and fully endorses its findings.  Competition works - monopolies don't.  BAA's monopoly control over the London airports has been highly detrimental to competition and consumers.  BAA has long ignored the needs of its airline users and the travelling public and provided inefficient, gold plated facilities, encouraged by an ineffectual regulator, the CAA.  Stansted is now the most expensive, by a considerable margin, of Ryanair's over 150 airports around Europe. BAA's plans to waste a further £4bln. on a second terminal and runway at Stansted, when such facilities could be built for a fraction of that cost, is further evidence of their abusive monopoly and will lead to even higher prices for consumers.

'The CC today confirmed its earlier findings that:

a)      The BAA’s monopoly ownership of Edinburgh and Glasgow airports has adversely affected competition.

 

b)      The BAA’s monopoly ownership of Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted airports has adversely affected competition.

 

c)      The way BAA has conducted its business has adversely affected competition.

 

d)      The inadequate regulatory regime operated by the CAA has adversely affected competition.

'Monopolies clearly don't work and the BAA monopoly has done huge damage to competition and the travelling public and it is high time it was broken up. Competition in the airline industry has brought huge benefits to consumers and this can be replicated at the main London airports.

'We are therefore calling on the UK Government to implement the Competition Commission's recommendations as soon as possible and to break up the BAA monopoly in the interest of competition and consumers'.

Ends.                                                                                                                        Wednesday, 20th August 2008

For reference:    Stephen McNamara - Ryanair                  Pauline McAlester - Murray Consultants

                          Tel: [phone]                             Tel: [phone]

 

END

 

 

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