BAA vows to fight against Stansted airport sale

Heathrow owner BAA has vowed to continue its legal fight against the forced sale of Stansted airport, after the court of appeal on Thursday upheld the original Competition Commission ruling. BAA was appealing against the competition appeals tribunal's verdict from February this year – the latest in a series of decisions dating back to 2009 when the Competition Commission first ruled that Britain's biggest airport operator would have to sell some of its assets. Gatwick and Edinburgh airport were sold by the Spanish-owned group, but BAA has tried to resist selling the Essex airport. A BAA spokesman said: "We are disappointed that the court of appeal has ruled in favour of the Competition Commission. We will now consider its judgment carefully and we intend to submit an appeal to the supreme court." Stansted has struggled of late, with falling passenger numbers, but BAA believes it will rebound when the UK economy recovers. Colin Matthews, BAA's chief executive, said that the forced sale was unwelcome and any deadline was uncomfortable for BAA. The Competition Commission said it welcomed the court of appeal decision.