Heathrow ‘already too expensive’

The airport plans to raise fees from the equivalent of £19.33 per passenger for 2012/13 to as much as £27.30 in 2018/19.

However, the charges need to be approved by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA),

"Our plan for a further £3bn of private-sector investment will further improve the airport for passengers,” Heathrow chief executive Colin Matthews said.

“The plan represents good value for money for airlines and passengers and comes at no cost to taxpayers."

BATAsaid that prices at Heathrow are tripled in ten years and it is already the most expensive hub airport in the world.

Chief Executive Simon Buck said:

“ BATAsupports improving the passenger experience at Heathrow.

“However, we believe this can be done without a repeat of the incredibly steep price rises we have seen in airport charges in the last few years.

“In the current economic climate other businesses, in private and public sectors and especially airlines, are making savings and delivering on less money. Airports should not be exempt from that and we call upon the CAA to use its regulatory powers to ensure there is a real terms reduction in charges applied to each passenger.”