British Airways warns of higher passenger fees

British Airways has warned that the Civil Aviation Authority's (CAA's) decision to increase the cap for Heathrow and Gatwick airports' passenger charges pushes fees above the recommended level.

The CAA set out increases for airport charges at the two hubs earlier today (March 11th), stating that the rises will help BAA to improve passenger services.

However, British Airways responded with the forecast that the increase will be passed on to flyers, resulting in them having to pay an average of 17 per cent more than was recommended by the Competition Commission last year.

The increases outlined by the CAA will see per passenger fees for each airport go up by 23.5 per cent at Heathrow to £12.80 and by 21 per cent at Gatwick to £6.79.

"These overly generous charges far exceed what is required to upgrade facilities across Heathrow through investment in infrastructure and improved service quality levels," commented Paul Ellis, general manager of airport policy and infrastructure for British Airways.

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