Easyjet has denied that it plans to put together a bid for Gatwick Airport.
The airline made the statement after media reports that it was in talks with Virgin Atlantic about forming a joint bid for the airport.
But today a spokesman for Easyjet said the reports were factually incorrect.
“We have no plans to form or front a bid. At the most, we were considering offering an as-yet unidentified bidder some sort of long-term commitment on capacity at the airport to enable them to evaluate their bid,†he said.
He said Easyjet was just one of many companies that Virgin was talking to.
Last week, a Virgin Atlantic spokesman said: “Virgin Atlantic is in talks with Easyjet about the possibility of a bid for Gatwick Airport.
“We have previously said we are interested in forming a consortium to own and operate the airport, and are currently in talks with interested parties.”
The airport’s owner BAA is hoping to sell Gatwick for £2.5 billion as it seeks to appease competition authorities seeking to weaken its stranglehold on London-areas airports.
But a more likely figure of £1.5 billion is being seen as realistic in the current economic downturn.
By Phil Davies and Bev Fearis
