Airport operator BAA today announced plans to sell Gatwick Airport (LGW).

Colin Matthews, BAA’s chief executive, said:

"We have decided to begin the process of selling Gatwick Airport immediately. Gatwick is one of Europe’s premier airports, the busiest single-runway airport in the world, and it was used by 35 million passengers last year. Gatwick has long been an important and valuable part of BAA and the decision to sell was not taken lightly. We believe that the airport’s customers, staff and business will benefit from the earliest possible resolution of current uncertainty."

"When the Competition Commission published its provisional findings, we said that we would be realistic in our response, though we disagree with the Commission’s report and the analysis on which it is founded. We will continue to present our case, in respect of the South East airports and those in Scotland. At Stansted, we believe that a change of ownership would interfere with the process of securing planning approval for a second runway, which remains a key feature of Government air transport policy."

Several firms are said to be interested in buying Gatwick, which has been valued at £1.8bn by regulators. Potential bidders include Australian company MacQuarie, Germany’s Fraport, and the owners of Manchester airport.  Last week, Virgin Atlantic also said it was interested in being part of a buying consortium.