The long-awaited news of the sale of London Gatwick Airport was announced today. BAA was told to sell the airport, and has now agreed a deal with Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP) for £1.5bn. GIP are also the majority owner of London City Airport.
The sale of the airport was ordered to counteract what was described as a lack of competition in the UK airports market, particularly in London where BAA held Gatwick, Heathrow and Stansted airports. This should bring much better choice and prices for passengers, with new airlines and routes likely to be announced.
The sale is still to be approved by the European Union – expected to be finalised in December.
For the enthusiast, the sale is likely to spice up the mix of operators flying into Gatwick, although details of this will only come as GIP take over and the new operation takes hold. It is highly unlikely we will see any official spotting locations return, but who knows?
The local police have issued a warning to spotters at Gatwick airport around the time of the G20 summit in London next week. It reads:
“Over the coming week a Policing operation will commence in conjunction with BAA Airport Security at Gatwick. At times there may be restricted access to certain areas around the airport. We would ask for your full cooperation whilst these enhanced security measures are in place and to be vigilant at all times.
If you do see anything suspicious then please dial 999 immediately stating your exact location along with as much detail as possible as to what you have heard / seen. If you consider the matter a NON emergency then please call 0845 6070999.
There will be a number of non Gatwick Police Officers patrolling. If requested to move on from a particular location by either the Police or BAA Airport Security then please comply with the request.
For those of you who hold the Gatwick Aviation Enthusiast Photo ID Cards, please remember to bring them with you and have them on display whilst at the airport. It not only makes things easier for you but also shows your commitment in helping to keep Gatwick a safe environment for all who will be visiting the airport during this enhanced security period.
REMEMBER IF YOU SUSPECT IT – REPORT IT”
Enthusiasts at London Gatwick airport are encouraged to sign up to the ID scheme operated by Gatwick Police. To date over 200 people have signed up, and it has been free so far.However, now there is a £6 administration fee to sign up and get your ID card.
The police stress that you won’t gain any additional rights over other members of the public by joining the scheme, but it will help them recognise you, and also help their fight against criminals and terrorism.
These schemes are popping up all over the place now, but I’ve yet to hear of any positive benefits of them to either spotters or the police.
You can read more about the Gatwick ID scheme and sign up by clicking on this link.
After all the speculation, Gatwick has finally been put up for sale by the BAA. The price tag is estimated at £1.8bn.
BBC News story about the sale:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7620293.stm
With BAA out of the picture, might the new owner (which could be Fraport or Manchester’s owners) provide facilities for spotters once again?
Virgin Atlantic are also interested in buying Gatwick as part of a consortium.
