(1)Where an airport is subject to economic regulation under this Part no airport charges shall be levied at the airport unless—
(a)they are levied by the airport operator, and
(b)a permission to levy airport charges is for the time being in force in respect of the airport.
(2)Where the annual turnover of the business carried on at an airport by the airport operator exceeded the relevant sum in the case of at least two of the last three financial years ending before the date when this section comes into force, then (subject to section 53(3)) the airport shall be subject to economic regulation under this Part as from the end of the period of six months beginning with that date.
(3)Where—
(a)an airport is not one to which subsection (2) applies, but
(b)the annual turnover of the business carried on at the airport by the airport operator exceeded the relevant sum in the case of at least two of the last three financial years ending before a date later than the date when this section comes into force,
the airport shall be subject to economic regulation under this Part as from the end of the period of nine months beginning with that later date.
(4)Nothing in this section applies—
(a)to any airport managed by the Secretary of State;
(b)to any airport owned or managed by the CAA or by any subsidiary of the CAA; or
(c)to any airport for the time being exempted from economic regulation under this Part by virtue of subsection (5).
(5)Where at any time the Secretary of State is satisfied as respects any airport which is subject to economic regulation under this Part that the annual turnover of the business carried on at the airport by the airport operator did not exceed the relevant sum in the case of each of the two last financial years ending before that time, he may, after consulting the CAA, determine that the airport shall cease to be subject to economic regulation under this part as from the date of his determination.
(6)Any such determination may be made by the Secretary of State either of his own motion or on the application of the airport operator.
(7)A determination under subsection (5) shall not—
(a)preclude subsection (3) from applying to the airport in question on a subsequent occasion; or
(b)affect any rights or liabilities accruing by virtue of this Part before the determination is made.
(8)Where any person levies any airport charges in contravention of subsection (1)—
(a)he shall not be guilty of an offence by reason only of his contravening that subsection; but
(b)any airport charges so levied shall not be recoverable by him, and, in so far as they have been paid to him, shall be recoverable from him.
(9)In this section “the relevant sum” means £1 million or such other sum as is for the time being specified in subsection (1) of section 14, and “annual turnover” and “financial year” have the meaning given by subsection (2) of that section.
(10)Where at the coming into operation of an order under section 14(3) any airport is, or is due to become, subject to economic regulation under this Part in accordance with subsection (2) or (3) above, that subsection shall continue to apply to the airport notwithstanding any increase in the relevant sum effected by the order.