MAG up for BAA spoils

The Manchester Airport Group — part-owned by Oldham Council — could buy “one or more” of the sites the British Airports Authority is likely to be forced to sell.

MAG is the largest British-owned airport operator, contributing £3.2bn a year to the economy.

It is publicly owned by the 10 local authorities in Greater Manchester, including Oldham, and supports more than 130,000 jobs at Manchester, Bournemouth, East Midlands and Humberside.

In a preliminary report, the Competition Commission (CC) is likely to recommend a break-up of airport operator BAA’s “monopoly” of South-East England airports which comprise Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted.

The big prize could be Gatwick, with anyone bidding for the West Sussex airport likely to have to fork out about £3bn.

MAG said the Competition Commission’s provisional findings, which could lead to three BAA airports being sold, were “good news”.

Throwing its hat into the ring, MAG said it was “an experienced, UK-owned airport operator with a strong track record in investing in the passenger experience, delivering efficient operations.”

“We are currently examining the details of today’s report before making any decision about future acquisitions.”