Signal as much as Simon Calder’s free journey e-mail for skilled recommendation and money-saving reductions
Get Simon Calder’s Journey e-mail
Heathrow Airport’s passenger expenses for the subsequent two years may very well be reduce by 6%, a regulator has introduced.
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) mentioned it’s proposing to regulate the caps on expenses it beforehand set for 2025 and 2026 following a “re-examination” of its determination in March final 12 months.
Prices are paid by airways however are usually handed on to passengers in air fares.
If the proposals are applied following a six-week session, common expenses per passenger could be reduce by round £1.52 to £23.72 in 2025, and by £1.58 to £23.70 in 2026.
This comes after the Competitors and Markets Authority ordered the CAA to rethink some points of its determination.
The CAA appeared once more on the airport’s revenues throughout coronavirus lockdowns, in addition to the affect of its debt and pension prices.
The typical cost per passenger was £31.57 in 2022 and 2023, and was forecast to be £25.43 this 12 months.
The information comes as a examine revealed flight punctuality at UK airports was considerably under pre-pandemic ranges final 12 months regardless of a surge in air fares.
Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) figures present simply 64% of flights departed or arrived inside quarter-hour of the scheduled time in 2023.
That’s up from 63% through the earlier 12 months, however down from the pre-coronavirus degree of 75% in 2019.
Prices are paid by airways however are usually handed on to passengers in air fares (Steve Parsons/PA)
(PA Wire)
One of many largest challenges to punctuality final 12 months was air site visitors management disruption within the UK and throughout Europe.
System failures, workers shortages and strike motion affected flights all through 2023.
Figures from the Workplace for Nationwide Statistics present common air fares for flights to and from the UK between July and September 2023 had been 24% costlier than the identical interval a 12 months earlier.
Final month, Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary predicted the airline’s tickets can be as much as 10% costlier this summer season in contrast with final 12 months resulting from delays within the supply of recent planes from Boeing.
The CAA mentioned it’s “reminding airports and airways of their obligations to passengers”.
Relying on the size of a flight delay, passengers could also be entitled to assist equivalent to foods and drinks, in a single day lodging, different journey preparations and compensation.
Within the closing three months of the 12 months, the airport with the worst punctuality was Gatwick, the place 63% of flights had been on time.
It was adopted by Edinburgh, Heathrow and Stansted, which every had a determine of 65%.
