Airport operator BAA is to drop its group branding after over 25 years of operation, with the airports under its portfolio operating under their own stand-alone brands going forward.
The BAA name came into existence in 1986, following the dissolution of the state-owned British Airport Authority and the creation of BAA PLC. The company was subsequently bought and de-listed by Spanish group Ferrovial in 2006.
Announcing the decision to drop the branding CEO Colin Matthews said that the organisation was “a different company today from when BAA was formed”, pointing to the sale of Gatwick, Edinburgh, Budapest and Naples airports in the last few years, and the forthcoming sale of Stansted (see online news August 20).
“The BAA name no longer fits,” said Matthews. “We do not represent all British airports; we are not a public authority; and practically speaking the company is no longer a group as Heathrow will account for more than 95 per cent of the business.”
BAA (SP) Ltd has changed its name to Heathrow (SP) Ltd, and the company has started the process of replacing the BAA name with individual branding at its Heathrow, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Southampton and Stansted facilities.
For more information visit baa.com.
Report by Mark Caswell
