FLYBE is disappointed that the Competition Commission has not ordered the sale of Southampton Airport.

The commission has told the British Airports Authority it must sell London Gatwick, Stansted and either Edinburgh or Glasgow, although an appeal might be launched against that.

Flybe, which had submitted detailed responses to all the various consultations, said that the ownership of Heathrow and Southampton by the same company would always lead to the latter suffering from under-investment as a result.

‘The commission has missed a golden opportunity to give passengers in the south-east a better deal, said chief commercial officer Mike Rutter.

He said that despite the commission stating that ‘Southampton suffers from a lack of ambition under BAA ownership’, it refused to recommend its disposal.

‘It seems evident that it continues to ignore the obvious fact that BAA has for years given Southampton a poor deal in comparison to its other airports in the south-east.

‘Although we welcome the recommendation on the sale of one of Edinburgh or Glasgow airports and look forward to working with new owners, passengers in the south-east have been let down by the commission’s lack of courage in relation to Southampton.’

The sale of Gatwick could improve travel for Guernsey passengers.

‘Having airports in more varied ownership offers the potential for greater competition in terms of landing fees and slot availability, both of which could be helpful to Guernsey,’ said Chris Elliott, director of marketing and tourism for Commerce and Employment.