Heathrow boss at odds with industry as fight over fees heats up

For a time this spring, Heathrow’s CE John Holland-Kaye was mucking in on the frontline, stacking X-ray trays at security to help keep queues moving at the short-staffed airport. Like the rest of the travel industry, the west London airport has roared back to life following two desperate years as border restrictions stifled business. But Holland-Kaye is already into his next fight in a job that involves leading one of the most controversial businesses in UK aviation. Britain’s busiest airport — which has suffered £4bn of losses since the start of 2020 — has caused a serious rift in the travel industry by pushing for a 90 per cent rise in the landing fees it charges, enraging airlines that have also suffered billions of dollars in losses and run up huge debts during the crisis. The antipathy deepened this week when Holland-Kaye unveiled a downbeat assessment of the industry’s recovery, and warned the surge in demand for travel this spring and summer was merely a “bubble” that could be popped this winter. This view contrasts with a burst of positive commentary coming from other parts of the industry. British Airways’ owner IAG has said a “strong and sustained” recovery is under way. Holland-Kaye’s comments have fuelled accusations from airlines that he is deliberately talking down the recovery to persuade the UK regulator to allow Heathrow to hike its fees, which are charged on a per passenger basis.<br/>