Investors in some of the UK’s busiest airports have creamed off nearly £7 billion in dividends over the past 10 years, the Financial Times reports, while continuing to impose high landing charges on airlines, which are being passed on to customers through higher air fares.

Tim Alderslade, chief executive of Airlines UK, the trade body for UK-registered airlines, said as airports "skimmed off millions in dividends", many airlines beholden to these landing charges, were "operating in the red".

This is despite many airports also operating hundreds of millions, if not billions, of pounds in debt.

Aviation consultant John Strickland told the FT: “Margins of profitability at large airports are typically much higher than those of airlines themselves. What we’re seeing at the moment is much more challenge between airlines and airports about that point.”

Earlier this year, when Heathrow announced a £525 million dividend, British Airways owner IAG said the country needed airport infrastructure that boosted the UK’s competitiveness, "not just the airport’s shareholders".