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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Business
Gwyn Topham Transport correspondent

Virgin Atlantic withdraws support for Heathrow third runway

A Virgin Atlantic plane flies over houses in the village of Stanwell outside Heathrow airport
Virgin Atlantic had been one of the Heathrow third runway’s biggest airline cheerleaders. Photograph: Susannah Ireland/Rex

Virgin Atlantic has withdrawn its support for Heathrow’s third runway plans amid an ongoing row over the cost of flying from Britain’s biggest airport.

The carrier had been one of the most prominent airline backers of expansion before the pandemic. But on Monday its chief executive, Shai Weiss, hit out at Heathrow’s proposal to increase landing charges by 120% and called on the aviation regulator, the CAA, to reform a “broken” system and “pay closer attention to the abuse of power by a de facto monopolistic airport”.

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