Qantas and Virgin shell out for Heathrow slots

British Airways has reportedly been beaten to six pairs of landing slots at Heathrow airport by Qantas and Virgin Atlantic, which paid twice the normal rate to trump their rival. The Guardian newspaper reports that Qantas paid GBP20 million for two pairs of daily slots at the London hub, while Virgin is reported to have paid a similar amount for four pairs. An airport source told the newspaper: “They have certainly paid top dollar; in fact, a shed load of money.” The Guardian surmises that the development underlines “a more optimistic future for sales and growth in an industry ravaged by falling passenger numbers and revenues”. The slots used to belong to FlyBE, which has recently reported healthy increases in passenger numbers at regional airports.