The Civil Aviation Authority has provisionally rejected a complaint by Flybe that Gatwick unfairly discriminates against operators of small aircraft. The decision will now go to consultation.
The complaint by regional carrier Flybe followed changes to the airport’s pricing structure which came into force on April 1.
The changes led to “significantly” increased landing charges between April and October, according to Flybe, while from November to March the charges were set at zero. The airport set flat rate charges in both periods
Flybe argued the flat rate took no account of the size or weight of aircraft. Gatwick said the revised charging structure was based on criteria designed to ensure the most-efficient use of airport capacity.
The CAA said today that a preliminary assessment led it to the “provisional view” that Gatwick has an “objective justification” for the new charging structure.
In a statement, the regulator said: “The CAA is currently not minded to investigate the complaint further. However, the CAA is now consulting stakeholders on this view, and is inviting representations from interested parties before 4 November 2011.”