STANSTED’S ex-boss is revving up the rivalry between his old employer and his new masters at Gatwick.
Stewart Wingate left BAA’s Essex hub – and the aviation industry – last September but in December he became managing director of the country’s second biggest airport.
This week, in his first interview since taking control at Gatwick, Mr Wingate told the Financial Times: “I’m pretty sure there’ll be a number of airlines at Heathrow and at Stansted who’ll be looking very closely at what we’re doing and, believe you me, we’ll be out talking to all of them about our plans, because that is the nature of competition.”
BAA, which owns Heathrow and has managed to hold on to Stansted, despite a Competition Commission order to sell, auctioned Gatwick to the owners of London City Airport for £1.5bn last year.
The new competition and Mr Win-gate’s battle cry failed to rattle his replacement at Stansted, David John-ston, pictured right. He told the
Observer on Tuesday: “It is, of course, a highly competitive marketplace in which Stansted operates – that’s the very nature of the aviation industry.
"However, it’s a challenge we’re well prepared for, whether it’s working with our existing airlines to develop their services at Stansted or competing very hard to attract new business to the airport. We’re always talking with airlines about future options, our plans and ambitions.”
Mr Wingate has outlined his plans to improve an ageing Gatwick, and low-cost carrier Ryanair, Stansted’s biggest customer, has registered its interest – provided service improvements were matched by price cuts.
However, Mr Johnston said: “Our key advantage is we already have a very modern, well-designed airport, one that lends itself especially well to the low-fare airlines who demand quick and efficient turnarounds.
“We’ve already made the significant financial investments necessary to ensure Stansted has the room to grow and serve even more passengers in the years ahead. This forward planning will enable us to keep our airline charges very competitive in the future, too.
“Stewart knows that Stansted offers great value for money, room to grow and high customer service standards to its airline partners. I’m sure he has a lot to do down at Gatwick, so we wish him well.”
Carol Barbone, Stop Stansted Expansion’s campaign director, said: “There’s a great deal of spare capacity at both airports and so it’s inevitable that they will try to poach one another’s customers. Ryanair will always choose the cheapest.”