Passengers at Heathrow face £20-a-ticket landing fees

BAA was yesterday given the go-ahead for inflation-busting increases in the landing fees it charges airlines.

The Civil Aviation Authority says the increases are needed to pay for improvements for passengers who have suffered from massive queues at security and check-in.

The regulator set out what BAA can charge airlines for using Heathrow and Gatwick for the five years from April 2008.

The CAA said charges for Heathrow landings should increase in real terms by 15.6 per cent - to the equivalent of £11.97 per passenger - in 2008/2009.

But after that, charges will be allowed to rise again by the rate of inflation plus up to 7.5 per cent for each year until 2012/2013.

That will mean charges of between about £18.50 and £20 per passenger by 2012/2013, depending on the level of inflation. Currently, passengers pay £9.28-a-ticket landing charges.

At Gatwick, the 2008/2009 increase would be 8.2 per cent, pushing up the fee per ticket from £4.91 to £6.07.

There would be increases of inflation plus no more than 2 per cent in the following four years. The rises are subject to confirmation next spring.

The CAA is also setting targets for 99 per cent of passenger queues to be resolved within ten minutes of them forming.

It wants BAA to set up a "queue alert" on its website so passengers can see how long it will take to clear check-in and immigration.

A spokesman for Sir Richard Branson's airline Virgin Atlantic said it is disappointed by the increase in landing charges.

"It is totally unacceptable," he added. "In our opinion, the regulatory system continues to reward BAA for its failings."

Dr Harry Bush, of the CAA, said: "Passengers and airlines deserve better than they have been provided with at Heathrow and Gatwick in recent years, but need to recognise that improvements have to be paid for.

"The challenge facing BAA is to deliver a better service to passengers and airlines, based on refreshed and expanded infrastructure."

BAA suggested the rises were not enough, saying that the CAA "has not recognised the significant challenges we all face in transforming passengers' experience and the new security reality in which we operate".

Today, Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly is to unveil a highly critical report on the problems experienced by millions of air passengers at check-in and security.

Tomorrow, she is expected to announce a public consultation on controversial plans for a third runway and a sixth terminal at Heathrow.

It will be accompanied by the results of a four-year study, which is thought to conclude that the runway and terminal could be built without exceeding noise and pollution limits.