Heathrow operator BAA's hold on seven airports may not be healthy for passengers or airlines, the competition watchdog has warned in a preliminary report.
The Competition Commission says BAA owning Heathrow and six other airports in England and lowland Scotland "may not be serving well the interests of either airlines or passengers".
The "emerging thinking report" confirmed BAA "dominates the airports markets", owning Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Southampton and Aberdeen airports.
It stressed it had not reached any final conclusions but will set out solutions to competition problems in August, that could include requiring BAA to sell one or more airports.
BAA said it would be considering the document carefully, and was looking forward to engaging further with the CC investigation.
"We recognise many of the concerns that have been expressed by airlines, and reflected by the CC, and we will be doing everything we can to address these," BAA chief executive Colin Matthews said.
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"However, BAA remains of the view that its ownership is in passengers' interests, both in terms of tackling the shorter term service problems, and in following through with major commitments to investment in new facilities and capacity."
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