Sharjah24 – Reuters: Britain's aviation regulator said that Heathrow, the country's busiest airport, will not be permitted to increase passenger charges as much as it had wanted, as the hub and its airlines vie against each other to recover pandemic losses.
COVID-19 has restricted flying for more than 18 months, putting huge financial strain on Heathrow and the airlines that use it, including its biggest customer British Airways, and making airport charges the subject of a bitter row.
The UK's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said in its initial proposals on Tuesday that Heathrow could raise its per passenger charge to between 24.50 pounds and 34.40 pounds ($33.76-$47.41). Heathrow had requested the cap be set at between 32 and 43 pounds.
In 2020, the charge was 22 pounds per passenger.
Heathrow wants to be able to charge more to help recover its losses, but airlines don't want to have to raise ticket prices to cover higher airport charges just when they are trying to stimulate passenger demand.
The CAA said its proposals, which will be finalised next year and cover the five years from summer 2022, struck the right balance between consumer interests and the airport.
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