Virgin Atlantic withdraws support for Heathrow 3rd runway, due to…
The CEO of Virgin Atlantic, Shai Weiss, has said he does not support the expansion of Heathrow if it continues with its very high landing charges for passengers. Heathrow will be allowed, by the regulator, the CAA, to raise charges by 56% next year, to £30.19 a passenger, but will have to reduce them to 26.31 in 2026. Heathrow claims this will not provide them enough money to invest in a 3rd runway. But the airlines using Heathrow consider the charges too high, and a disincentive to passengers. Weiss said Heathrow’s plan to raise charges was “great for the airport and its mostly foreign shareholders” – including Qatar and China’s sovereign wealth fund – but “a bad deal for consumers, airlines, and the UK economy”. He wants the CAA to reform a “broken” system and “pay closer attention to the abuse of power by a de facto monopolistic airport”. …”Until that happens, it is difficult to see how expansion at Heathrow can be supported.” He ruled out a return to Gatwick, which Virgin left during Covid, saying there was “no connectivity”. Virgin Atlantic had become more efficient since focusing all its operations on one London airport. .Tweet Virgin Atlantic withdraws support for Heathrow third runway Airline chief Shai Weiss attacks airport’s proposal to increase landing charges by 120% By Gwyn Topham, Transport correspondent (The Guardian) @GwynTopham Mon 21 Nov 2022 Virgin Atlantic has withdrawn its support for Heathrow’s third runway plans amid an ongoing row over the cost of flying from Britain’s biggest airport. The carrier had been one of the most prominent airline backers of expansion before the pandemic. But on Monday its chief executive, Shai Weiss, hit out at Heathrow’s proposal to increase landing charges by 120% and called on the aviation regulator, the CAA, to reform a “broken” system and “pay closer attention to the abuse of power by a de facto monopolistic airport”. He added: “Until that happens, it is difficult to see how expansion at Heathrow can be supported.” The CAA said this summer Heathrow would be allowed to raise charges by 56% next year, to more than £30 a passenger, but would have to trim them by 2026 – a proposal that Heathrow said “underestimated” the need for investment. Weiss said Heathrow’s plan to raise charges was “great for the airport and its mostly foreign
