Support for Aurigny over Gatwick’s ‘huge’ fee hike

Thursday 10th February 2011, 2:29PM GMT.

Gatwick Airport's owners claim the landing fee increases represent a 6% rise across the board

ONE of the world’s largest airlines has said it is sympathetic to concerns raised by Aurigny and Flybe about the intentions of Gatwick’s new owners.

Virgin Atlantic acknowledged that regional airlines played a vital role in connecting passengers from around Britain with larger operators.

Aurigny has accused Gatwick of trying to force regional operators to pull out of the airport by imposing ‘huge’ landing fee increases.

Industry sources said smaller airlines were facing much larger price hikes than bigger operators – it was claimed an airline the size of Aurigny faced 20-25% increases, whereas a long-haul operator would see landing fees go up by as little as 4%. But Gatwick claimed the landing fee increases amounted to 6% across the board.