§ Mr. Cranasked the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he has taken to ensure that there are sufficient safeguards in the regulations governing the newly privatised British Airports Authority plc to ensure that independent British scheduled and charter airlines' rights of access to Gatwick will not be diminished in the event of the proposed merger of British Airways and British Caledonian being allowed to proceed.
§ Mr. Peter BottomleyThe Airports Act 1986 provides appropriate safeguards, should these prove necessary. Section 31 empowers the Secretary of State to make traffic distribution rules regulating airlines' access to certain airports such as Gatwick. Section 33 provides a reserve power for the Secretary of State to introduce schemes to allocate capacity at certain airports between airlines. Section 41 empowers the Civil Aviation Authority to remedy or prevent any trade practice or pricing policy on the part of an airport operator that unreasonably discriminates against particular airlines or classes of airlines.