BAA has been granted a further reprieve against selling Stansted airport after the Court of Appeal ruled in the firm’s favour.
The decision means the airport operator can now appeal against the Competition Appeal Tribunal’s judgment on February 1.
It had backed the initial Competition Commission’s decision that BAA must sell Stansted, Gatwick and one of its two Scottish airports, Edinburgh or Glasgow.
Gatwick was auctioned off in 2009 and Edinburgh was sold in April this year.
A BAA spokesman said: "We are pleased that permission to appeal has been granted and look forward to presenting our arguments before the Court of Appeal."
But low cost airline Ryanair condemned the latest appeal which it claims will further delay the sale of Stansted.
It says only competition can deliver lower costs and better customer service which should reverse the declining traffic Stansted has suffered in recent years.
Ryanair’s Stephen McNamara said: "Traffic at Stansted Airport has declined from a high of 24m passengers in 2007 to just 18m passengers last year, thanks to the BAA’s high and rising prices, and the ineffective regulatory regime run by the CAA."
