British Airways says it will consider reducing the number of flights it operates in and out of Heathrow Airport, west London, if proposed increases in charges are implemented.
The UK’s busiest airport could increase fees per passenger by up to 76 per cent under plans drawn up by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
The airline’s parent company IAG said Heathrow is already among the most expensive airports in the world to use and it is becoming “more and more expensive”.
Luis Galleo, chief executive of IAG, warned of a possible scaling back of flights if there was an increase in charges, which are paid by airlines but generally trickle down to passengers in air fares.
His warning comes just weeks after the CAA announced a plan to raise the cap on Heathrow’s average charge per passenger from the current level of £19.60 ($26.34) to between £24.50 and £34.40.