The airport, which is currently seeking to expand in size, says it is good news for passengers who will have more choice.

A ruling by the Competition Commission is likely to force operator BAA to sell a number of its airports in the South East.
For the past year, competition watchdogs have been probing BAA's ownership of all three London airports to discover whether it operated against the public interest.

Airlines have complained that Spanish-owned BAA has raised costs and delivered poor service. The Competition Commission concluded that BAA's ownership of the Big Three airports in London did cause competition problems.

Lydd Airport chief Zaher Deir said: "We're pleased with the decision in regards to the BAA ownership. I believe the whole dynamic of South East airports will be more competitive, plus the fact that regional airports will benefit a great deal.

"The congestion at the main airports will not change due to them operating at maximum capacity; however smaller airports will enjoy the spill-over and will be able to build on the increase in aircraft movements and passenger numbers."

He added: "While the proposed break-up of the BAA monopoly is welcomed, the lack of foresight of successive governments to look at the issue of airport provision is a difficult one to solve, because breaking up the existing monopoly is only the start of the problem.

"Regional airports such as ours have a significant role to play, because by taking care of some of the short haul intra-European traffic, this allows airports such as Heathrow and Gatwick to focus on long haul flights.

"We have invested more than £25m in upgrading facilities at Lydd and nearly two years ago we applied for a runway extension and new terminal facility. We still await a date to be set by the local authority for our planning applications to be considered.

"Increasingly any planning process seems to become more and more protracted. Lengthy delays in allowing airport expansion has dogged the development of air travel services since the 1950s and the problem is becoming more pressing.

"Unless the Government act soon to address the bigger picture in regards to UK airport capacity, the issues at Heathrow and the other London terminals will only get worse, and those with a choice will favour other European mega hub airports."

Mr Deir said many people overlooked the positive impact on the local economy generated by the successful development of a regional airport. This is particularly true at Lydd, he said, where the surrounding area
is in desperate need of quality jobs and career opportunities, especially for the younger generation.