There have been calls for BAA to be split up

The Times said the cuts would be made across most departments, and that the operator had ordered a rigorous review of costs at each of its seven sites.

BAA told the paper some jobs would go but that there was "no final number", adding most would be support staff.

The operator owns Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Southampton airports.

The Times reported that, as well as cutting costs through reducing its payroll, BAA may also be preparing to sell one or more of its sites.

All areas of operations, with the exception of security, faced redundancies, the paper said.

In its statement, the operator said: "This is a simplification exercise aimed at support staff much more than frontline staff. It's not simply about costs. It's about building a much leaner and more efficient business."

'Unsatisfactory' experience

BAA has a 60% market share of all UK passenger flights, rising to 90% in the south of England.

The firm, which was bought by Spanish firm Ferrovial last year, is at the centre of a Competition Commission probe into whether it dominates the market.

The firm's level of customer service is expected to feature in the commission's investigation

BAA has previously accepted that "the experience of too many passengers using London airports is unsatisfactory," but blames a lack of capacity in terminals and on runways.