UK airport operator BAA has warned if winters continue to become colder and snow becomes more of a problem, the cost of protection airports against snow and ice disruption will be passed onto passengers.
BAA estimates that the disruption caused by snow to Britain’s airports in December cost £24 million, and passenger numbers fell 10.9% to 7.2m in December compared with the same period in 2009.
However, Colin Matthews, chief executive of BAA, says airlines need to take some of the blame as they had all agreed to a recovery plan with airlines that failed to take account of the possibility of deep snow. This emergency plan needs to be renegotiated which could lead to higher fees for carriers and as a result passengers.
“If we are talking about facilities to look after stranded passengers in the long run – hotel rooms and so forth – the only source of money for that is in the aircraft tickets. That’s why we have to be sure we make adequate plans with the airlines if we are to continue to face extreme weather events,” he said.