Ryanair Calls For Urgent Sale of Stansted

Ryanair, the world's favourite airline, welcomed today's (1st Feb) decision by the UK Competition Appeal Tribunal that the sale of Stansted can go ahead after four years of appeals and delays by the Ferrovial owned BAA Stansted Monopoly. While BAA Stansted has been delaying the sale they have doubled passenger charges and presided over record traffic declines from 24m in 2007 to 18m in 2011.

Ryanair's Stephen McNamara said:

"These repeated delays in the sale of Stansted must now end. Ferrovial and the BAA have used every legal tactic to delay this sale for four years since it was first recommended by the Competition Commission in 2008.

During this four year period Ferrovial and BAA Stansted have doubled passenger charges, slashed traffic and have now announced that BAA will pay a divided of €240m to Ferrovial and its other shareholders in 2012.

Ferrovial and the other owners of Stansted are unfairly enriching themselves at the expense of UK passengers/visitors who are suffering higher charges and third-rate service at Stansted while the CAA's "inadequate" regulatory regime does nothing to protect airport users."