CHEAPER flights and a walk-in, walk-off airport could be in store, if low budget airline Ryanair buys a 25 per cent share of Stansted Airport.
The airport has been put up for sale after the BAA failed to overturn a decision made in 2009 by the Competition Commission.
The commission ruled that BAA had to sell Stansted because of competition concerns arising from its ownership of the UK's biggest airport, Heathrow.
BAA announced on Monday it would not be taking the ruling to the Supreme Court, after a fourth attempt to overturn the decision was thrown out by the Court of Appeal last month.
Irish-based Ryanair has made public its interest in buying a share of the airport, which is reported to be worth £1 billion.
Stephen McNamara, of Ryanair, which operates to 41 destinations from the airport, said: "The sale of Stansted into separate ownership will lead to more competition, lower passenger charges, improved passenger services and the roll-out of additional and much-needed traffic growth at competitive prices in Stansted."
The company claims it would revolutionise air travel, with a "walk-in and walk-off" service to speed up journey times.
Mr McNamara added: "Since 2008, the BAA has doubled prices at Stansted and overseen a decline in traffic from 24 million in 2007 to 18 million in 2011, with this decline continuing in 2012.
"The BAA's seven failed court appeals were a blatant attempt to delay the sale while BAA and its Spanish owners, Ferrovial, fattened up its monopoly profits at the expense of airlines, passengers and British jobs."
