Summary
For years Londoners have had to suffer under the clumsy hand of its sole airport operator, BAA. Fortunately this hegemony is over.
Analysis
Competition is, always, a good thing. London has been the center of commercial aviation for decades - it handles more international flights than anywhere else. But the city has been suffering with capacity constraints for a long time.
The idea of putting all its airports under one owner proved to be the wrong thing. There was no incentive to be creative, rather the sole operator, BAA tried to extract more from what infrastructure existed. BAA was quite happy that the government would not allow any physical growth, as this ensured rising fees as demand always outstripped supply.
But now that Gatwick and Heathrow are owned by different firms, things are set to change. Gatwick will take a lead in terms of efficiency as its new owners are determined to extract maximum passenger throughput in the shortest possible timeframe. In doing so, they will be able to increase their revenue.
This will force BAA to improve their own performance at Heathrow. Even if a new government won't allow a third runway at Heathrow, BAA can do a lot to improve its people handling.
Competition is an excellent thing and Londoners should rejoice at this news. As should everyone who has to endure the city's two big airports. Success in London will quite possibly lad other cities to ask how they can improve their own airport situation. Two prime US examples would be New York and Los Angeles.
