Originally Posted by
Dan Dare
About 20 years ago a recently privatised over-leveraged ANSP ran out of money. To save face the government sold off a little bit more to give the appearance of success. Despite privatisation the ANSP has no control over charging and the government is currently pushing a scheme which would bankrupt the ANSP in the event of a downturn. Oddly, the “gold-standard” branch of government in charge of squeezing the purse strings is also in charge of safety.
I don’t believe all you’ve said to be true @DanDare (the government changed the regulatory mechanisms after 9-11 as well as selling down the further share to invest as you note, plus, the regulatory environment includes a cap and collar on income that limits gains and losses - businesses should manage risks to pre-empt their exposure to risks such as pandemic. Whilst charging in many cases is currently done using the Eurocontrol charging formula, there are several areas (I can think of three) where this ANSP sets its own basis of charging (following consultation with airlines and regulators of course).
I understand your rhetoric, but simply displacing facts with opinion serves only to mislead those who aren’t informed.