VIRGIN WITHHOLDS FEES OVER SHUTDOWN

Virgin Atlantic is to withhold some landing fees from Heathrow because of the chaos caused by the airport’s shutdown last month. Sir Richard Branson’s airline said it is not going to pay landing and parking charges due from January 1 until it sees the results of an internal inquiry into the disruption. Tens of thousands of passengers were stranded when BAA-owned Heathrow ground to a halt for several days before Christmas after heavy snowfall and freezing conditions iced up the runways and jet stands. Steve Ridgway, Virgin’s chief executive, told the Financial Times: “We’ve told BAA we are going to