French investment fund Ardian will acquire a 15% stake in FGP Topco, parent company of the British Heathrow airport in London, for an undisclosed amount. The Spanish giant Ferrovial intends to sell its 25% stake in the first British hub.
“The UK is a key market for Ardian, which has a 17-year track record of successful infrastructure investments in the country. This investment in Europe’s leading airport and UK aviation hub builds on Ardian’s experience in aviation, including previous investments in London Luton airport and significant stakes in six Italian airports,” Ardian said in a statement.
The British government is currently silent
“Heathrow is an atout stratégique pour l’économie britannique et joue un rôle clé dans l’amélioration de la connectivité mondiale. Cela s’inscrit dans la stratégie d’Ardian consistant à investir dans des infrastructures significants sur ses principaux marchés.”, poursuit the bottom.
At the same time, the Saudi Public Fund (FIP) will take a 10% stake in the airport. With Ardian, the total investment amount is $2.7 billion.
In addition, Qatar, through the Qatar Investment Authority, will become Heathrow’s largest shareholder.
The IFJ said on Wednesday that it was “delighted to invest in Heathrow, a world-class airport, which is an important gateway to the world,” according to a press release.
Other shareholders are the Caisse de dépôt et position du Québec (CDPQ) (12.62%) and the Chinese sovereign fund China Investment Corporation (CIC) (10%).
Asked by AFP about the change in ownership at the head of Heathrow, the British Government did not immediately respond. But the sale of the Spanish group’s shares remains subject to the green light from the stock market authorities.
Last week, the conservative executive invoked “public interest” by stating that he was considering intervening in the process of selling the media group “The Telegraph”, which could be taken over by an American-Emirati fund.
Source: BFM TV
