Response to CAA's statement re 2022 airport charge

This morning the CAA published a statement on the 2022 interim airport charge. Responding to the CAA's statement, a Heathrow spokesperson said:

"We are extremely disappointed in this interim decision from the CAA. It relies on rushed analysis and will undermine passenger experience at the UK's hub airport.

"As an example, the CAA's flawed analysis assumes that operating costs at Heathrow next year will be £173m lower than our budget. This is even lower than we were able to achieve in 2020, when we served half as many passengers with only one runway and two terminals operating and the benefit of a government furlough scheme. There are material and basic errors in many aspects of the CAA's assessment. Uncorrected, this risks leaving Heathrow without sufficient cashflow to support investment in improving passenger service and resilience. 

"The decision by the CAA differs materially from the forecast assumed in our Investor Report published last week. We will analyse the impact and consider whether issuing an update in January is necessary. We are making a detailed submission to the CAA, and expect a more considered outcome when it makes its final decision in Spring 2022."