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Stansted will face big fines for repeat of security breach
Robert Lea09.12.08
Stansted Airport will be hit for millions of pounds in fines in the future if yesterday's huge security fiasco is repeated.
The Civil Aviation Authority today announced plans for a new system of penalties in an effort to improve services at Stansted. The new regime will bring London's third airport into line with Heathrow and Gatwick, which are also run by BAA.
A similar system of penalties at Heathrow and Gatwick brought in earlier this year has seen the airports pay compensation of £4.3 million and £3.6 million respectively to airlines over the past seven months for failures to hit minimum standard targets.
Stansted was brought to a standstill yesterday as protesters belonging to the Plane Stupid environmental campaigning group breached security fences and occupied the runway. Scores of flights were cancelled and thousands of passengers had to make alternative travel arrangements.
In the past, Stansted has had no regime in which it faces penalties when it lets down passengers. Now, as part of a five-year review of pricing limits at the airport, the CAA is to introduce a tariff of fines.
Under the plan, the airport could from next year be fined up to 7% of its take-off and landing charge revenues, if it fails to meet targets like clearing passengers through security within 10 minutes.
Other targets include speeding up baggage reclaim and making terminals smarter. The package of potential fines comes as the CAA said it is to allow BAA to increase charges on Stansted airlines by about 10% over the next five years - up to £6.65 a passenger by 2013-14.
BAA said the increases are not nearly enough as it has already started spending on attempts to get permission to build a second runway at the airport.
Leading airline users were also critical. A spokesman for Ryanair said: "The prices announced by the CAA are out of line with what efficient airports are offering throughout Europe, and yesterday's unacceptable security breach is witness to BAA's very poor service levels.
An easyJet spokesman said: "We are very concerned by the CAA's apparent long-term plan to remove all price caps at Stansted and give BAA free rein to charge what it wants."
Reader views (3)
Laura. This cannot be the Stansted I know. Security delays of 45 mins are the norm; inbound immigration delays are up to an hour. In my view Stansted is the worst airport in Europe by far. London City is the best.
By the way, the cancellations were all Ryanair. there was no need whatever for this except Ryanair want to prove a point at passengers expense.
- Gordon Edge, Cambridge; UK
I have been flying regurlarly from Stansted Airport since 2005 I think the airport services and security checks are good. I have only had problems with the airlines, never with the Airport Staff or service?Sometimes it gets quiet busy in the Passport Control, but i have been in other airports where this was slower. Security measures are never enough, but how about cutting down the prices on the Stansted train service? it is just ridiculous that the train ticket is often more expensive or same as the fly ticket?!
- Laura Salesa, London, UK
Calculate each passenger's delay,add it up, divide it by 56, then sentence each protester to that amount of time in prison.
I suppose all the protesters walked or cycled there, thought not.
- Donald Massey, Macclesfield
