By Samuel R Beighton

On 18 September 2018, the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (the “CMA”) announced that Heathrow airport (“Heathrow”) will pay a fine of £1.6 million in relation to an infringement of UK competition law arising from a restriction included within a commercial lease.

Importantly, this case marks the first occasion that the CMA has used its competition law enforcement powers in relation to a so-called “land agreement” – i.e. an agreement between businesses that creates, alters, transfers, or terminates an interest in land.