BAA told to sell Gatwick, Stansted

The Competition Commission has ruled that airport operater BAA must sell Gatwick and Stansted airports after publishing the final report of its two-year investigation.

The commission has also told BAA, which currently owns seven airports, that it must also sell either Edinburgh or Glasgow airport.

The investigation into the running of Britain's airports focused on BAA's dominance over airports in Scotland and the south-east of England.

In its provisional decision published in December, the commission said the lack of competition between airports owned by BAA was detrimental to passengers.

The regulator has ordered that the airports be sold within two years, and must also be sold in sequence, starting with Gatwick, then Stansted, and then finally either Edinburgh or Glasgow to ensure an orderly sale process.

BAA responded to the latest findings by saying the commission's analysis was "flawed".

The sale of Gatwick is already under way and possible buyers are being vetted. London's second airport handles 34.2m passengers a year.