A call for scheduled flights to be given priority over business jets and smaller aircraft during the London Olympic Games has been rejected.
The Civil Aviation Authority told British Airways and other airlines that such a measure would be difficult to execute and was legally questionable.
The regulator said air traffic controllers are not meant to discriminate between aircraft under the National Air Traffic Service’s operating licence. Officials also expressed doubts about the practicality of prioritising one type of aircraft over another, the Financial Times reported.
A CAA spokesman said the meeting had discussed various measures put forward by airlines to support effective air traffic management during the Olympics.
“The meeting accepted some of those proposals were not legal and that others were not feasible for practical reasons,” he said. Airlines, worried about delays during the Olympics, have agreed to consider other measures that might minimise airspace disruption during the Games.