The operator of Heathrow airport has slammed a price cap limiting how much it can charge airlines to use the west London site. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has imposed a far greater price cap on the amount it can charge airlines than it originally proposed. From April, prices can only rise by 1.5% below the retail prices index (RPI) measure of inflation at Britain's busiest airport. Heathrow, whose owners include Spain's Ferrovial and the sovereign wealth funds of Qatar, China and Singapore, described the cap as draconian. Its chief executive, Colin Matthews, said, 'We want to continue to improve Heathrow for passengers. We will review our investment plan to see whether it is still financeable in light of the CAA's settlement.' The company said it required reductions in operational expenditure by more than £600m and stretches commercial revenue targets by in excess of £100m, which includes revenues from retail and car park charges. It said the settlement leaves little spare resource available to manage the consequences of potential disruption at Heathrow. (source: Sky News)