Ryanair has fiercely criticised the CAA’s decision to deregulate Stansted Airport.
Describing it as "putting the foxes in charge of the chicken coop", the airline said the decision will allow Stansted to increase charges, which will damage competition and push up prices.
"Against evidence and its own earlier findings, the CAA now inexplicably claims that airlines are able to exert buyer power on Stansted in circumstances where Stansted was allowed by the CAA to double its charges in 2007, which caused a five-year 27% traffic collapse at Stansted while Heathrow and Gatwick were growing," said the airline.
"Even Easyjet moved flights to Southend to avoid Stansted’s high charges."
But the CAA said it had completed its assessment for Stansted’s passenger market "taking into account the long-term contracts the airport now has in place with its main airline customers" and has decided the airport does not have substantial market power.
The airport will not be economically regulated by the CAA from April 2014 onwards.
