Flybe, Europe’s largest regional airline, expressed its dismay at the Competition Commission (CC) provisional decision not to recommend the sale of Southampton airport by airport operator BAA. Flybe contends that this will not be enough to bring about a better deal in South East England for passengers and airlines, continues to predict a future where BAA concentrates exclusively on Heathrow and prices Southampton to deter competition with Heathrow - to the clear detriment of Southampton travellers.

Flybe is particularly disappointed that the CC ignored our evidence that BAA had consistently under-invested and over-priced in Southampton. This decision is made even more incomprehensible by the CC’s own admission that they made their judgement in the absence of robust statistics. The Competition Commission have recommended that the airport operator, owned by Spanish conglomerate Ferrovial, disposes of Gatwick and Edinburgh airports - a decision Flybe welcomes - as well as Stansted.

Mike Rutter, Flybe’s Chief Commercial Officer, comments: “The Competition Commission have got it wrong on Southampton Airport. Despite detailed evidence provided to them by Flybe, they have ignored the obvious fact that BAA have for years given Southampton a poor deal in comparison to their other airports in the South East. We are calling on the CC to revisit their findings, to actually undertake the research that they themselves admit is missing from their analysis and come back with a different answer in February when they publish their final report.”

He continued: “Flybe welcomes the recommendation on the sale of Edinburgh airport, looks forward to working with new owners and encourages BAA/Ferrovial to start the process of disposal as quickly as they can so that Scottish passengers can start paying less for their travel.”