BAA ‘doesn’t want open warfare with Ryanair’

BAA chief executive Mike Clasper said yesterday that the British airport company has no intention of declaring “open warfare” on Ryanair.

Speaking to shareholders at BAA’s annual meeting, Mr Clasper said that the High Court proceedings it had issued against the airline were the last resort after prolonged discussions.

Mr Clasper added that he had discussed the issue with CAA, the regulator, and they had agreed that it was BAA’s right to take action.

The dispute is over a fuel levy BAA charges airlines at its Stansted airport north of London. Ryanair has also filed High Court proceedings against BAA.

All but one of the resolutions at BAA’s AGM were passed. Resolution 15 - a proposal by a group of shareholders to end to free parking at airports for British parliamentarians - was thrown out.

Meanwhile, Ryanair revealed plans to add eight new routes, stepping up the battle for passengers in the budget air-travel market.

The carrier will start routes from London Stansted, Frankfurt-Hahn and Tampere in Finland to Riga. It will also fly to Santander in Spain from Stansted, Hahn and Rome-Ciampino.

The two additional routes are from Stansted to Zaragoza and from Rome to Eindhoven.

“With the addition of eight new routes and three new great destinations we can bring even more choice to European consumers. It is notable that for the first time Ryanair's low fares will now be available in northern Spain, and in Latvia,” Ryanair Chief Executive Michael O’Leary said.

Britain’s easyJet, Europe’s second-biggest low-cost carrier, has also been adding to its capacity this year amid increasing competition in the sector.