BAA has launched a new challenge to the Competition Commission’s order that it sell Stansted and either Edinburgh or Glasgow Airports.
It had submitted an application for judicual review of the decision announced by the competition watchdog in 2009.
The airport authority, which also owns Heathrow, Southampton and Aberdeen Airports, said the grounds for the challenge were that circumstances have changed since the original order two years ago.
In a statement, BAA which is owned by Spanish conglomerate Ferrovial, said: “The challenge relates to the Competition Commission’s consideration of whether there have been material changes of circumstances since its original 2009 decision such that it is not necessary or appropriate to require BAA to divest Stansted.”
It is the latest move by the authority to stop the sale of Stansted which handles 18.6m passengers a year and either Glasgow (6.5m) or Edinburgh (8.6m).
The Commission originally ruled that BAA must sell three of its then seven UK airports.
Since then it has sold Gatwick for £1.5bn.