BAA new chief executive Mike Clasper has lost no time in re-emphasising the airport operators response to the government consultation on airport expansion. Speaking at the Airports Council International (ACI) conference in London last week he made it very clear that BAA sees a requirement for three extra runways in the south east, with the first requiring an urgent decision (also see easyJet). Echoing Rod Eddington”s often expressed view that new runways were vital for the UK's overall economic competitiveness. He also used his former company, Proctor and Gamble, as an example of how to get to domestic markets, although it could be argued that BAA has not helped the UK regions in their efforts to get back into Heathrow. http://www.baa.com