Edinburgh Airport sold

Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), who own both Gatwick and London City airports, has won the race to take over Edinburgh after the current owner BAA was forced to sell by the Competition Commission.  GIP say they hope to complete the £807.2m deal by the end of May.  With Stansted due to be sold (although still subject to appeals) BAA will finish up with a single London airport and two in Scotland, Aberdeen and Glasgow, whilst rival GIP will have two operations at the nation’s capital (City and Gatwick), plus just Edinburgh in Scotland.  Glasgow’s other airport, Prestwick, is up for sale.

Adebayo Ogunlesi, Chairman and Managing Partner of GIP, said: "Edinburgh Airport is a high-quality infrastructure asset.  Its acquisition is a landmark deal for GIP.

"We see significant opportunity to apply our tested and successful operational expertise and our knowledge of the global airports sector to develop and enhance the performance of Edinburgh Airport in years to come."

For many years Edinburgh and Glasgow vied with each other as Scotland’s top airport but with the establishment of the Scottish Parliament, Edinburgh has outperformed its rival in recent times.  Last year the figures were EDI 9.3m (+9%) and GLA 6.8m (+5%). www.baa.com www.global-infra.com

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