CITY VIEWS: IS BAA’S SALE OF GATWICK TO GIP A POSITIVE DEVELOPMENT?
MARC SCHMANDIN BERWIN LEIGHTON PAISNER
“I am a frequent flier, but I don’t believe the sale will make any difference to consumers, who will still have to go through Gatwick airport one way or another. GIP will in all probability be keen to cut costs and improve efficiency, but whether or not that has a positive impact remains to be seen, as it depends where they decide to cut corners.”
GRAHAM GRAY RSA INSURANCE
“I think BAA had too much of a monopoly on the airports. BAA was struggling so it will benefit from this off-load – but I don’t know whether customers will.
Hopefully GIPwill pump investment into Gatwick and the airport will benefit from new ideas. The shopping facilities are good, but the restaurants and check-in times need to be improved.”
PAUL WINCHESTER ROYAL BANK OF CANADA
“I fly a lot for business, but I don’t use Gatwick very much as my flights tend to go from City airport, Stansted or Heathrow instead, so the change won’t make any material difference to me. However, I always argue that competition is a good thing, and I can’t see that the development would be to the detriment of the consumer.”