STANSTED Airport and its major airlines are demanding the Government review its status as a designated hijack airport to prevent the widespread chaos caused by last week’s crisis.
During the stand-off with Afghan hijackers, 140 flights were cancelled at Stansted. Ryanair was the biggest casualty with 46 cancelled flights.
Executives from the BAA-operated airport plan to approach the Home Office to suggest alternative arrangements for dealing with hijackers, including a move to switch the designated hijack airport to a quieter location.
Ryanair sales and marketing director Tim Jeans said: “We want a redesignation for Stansted. Losses cannot be reclaimed, although Stansted may make a claim to the Government.”
He could not say how much the low-cost airline had lost due to the crisis. Go and KLM backed Ryanair’s demands. KLM sales director Peter Cornwall said:”We had 27 flights cancelled on Monday. We hope this is the last time.”
Go transferred customers on cancelled flights to parent British Airways’ services at Heathrow.
A spokesman for Stansted said: “It is time to talk about new options with the Government. We were chosen for these situations when we had just 3m passengers – this year we will have 9.5m.”