BAA has launched an appeal against the Competition Commission's ruling that it must sell off three of its airports.

The commission ruled in March that BAA must sell Gatwick and Stansted airports and either Edinburgh or Glasgow airport within two years.

BAA has launched an appeal to the Competition Appeal Tribunal that the ruling failed to take account of the ‘adverse financial impact' that selling two airports in the current economic crisis would bring through a lower than previously expected price.

The airport operator is also appealing on the grounds of apparent bias "because of links between a member of the Competition Commission panel and an organisation interested in acquiring the airport that BAA is required to sell," said a BAA statement.