RYANAIR WELCOMES UK SUPREME COURT RULING THAT THE BREAK-UP OF THE BAA MONOPOLY CAN PROCEED

Ryanair, the UK’s favourite airline, today (18th Feb) welcomed the ruling by the UK Supreme Court that it would not hear an appeal by the BAA airport monopoly against the High Court decision that it should be forced to sell off two more of its London and Scottish airports.

Ryanair believes that these Court appeals are a deliberate policy by the BAA airport monopoly to delay the eventual sale of Stansted and Glasgow airports, which continue to suffer traffic declines under the BAA’s high airport fees and badly run facilities. Ryanair once again called on the UK Competition Commission to accelerate the break-up of the BAA airport monopoly by expediting the sale of Stansted and Glasgow airports.

Ryanair’s Stephen McNamara said:

“We welcome the Supreme Court decision which defeats another attempt by the BAA airport monopoly to delay the sale of Stansted and Glasgow airports and the introduction of competition between airports in the UK. The sooner Stansted and Glasgow airports are sold, the sooner competition will be allowed to improve airport facilities and lower airport charges at the BAA monopoly airports.

Ryanair has campaigned over many years for the break-up of the failed BAA monopoly, and today’s decision is a further milestone for consumers by bringing forward the eventual break-up of the high cost, inefficient BAA airport monopoly.

Ryanair also calls on the new Irish Government to break-up the equally high cost DAA airport monopoly, which was designed on the failed and discredited BAA airport monopoly, and which like the BAA continues to deliver over-specified Taj Mahal terminals that aren’t needed, while presiding over huge collapses in Irish air traffic and tourism.

We hope the next Irish Government will finally break up the failed DAA monopoly in the same way that the UK Competition Commission is finally breaking up the failed BAA airport monopoly in the UK.”