VINCI Airports acquires Belfast International as part of massive network expansion

MAKING IT BIG: Purchasing the portfolio has enabled VINCI to crack into the USA

VINCI Airports has announced it is acquiring nine new airports, including Belfast International and Orlando-Sanford International airports, in a massive global expansion.

The French group, which is a subsidiary of VINCI Concessions, snapped up Airports Worldwide’s portfolio yesterday for an as-yet undisclosed sum.

The move means VINCI has increased the number of airports in its network by 25 per cent from 36 to 45, increasing the number of passengers it serves by 25.6 million to more than 182 million per year. It also means it has cracked into the USA, currently the world’s largest air transport market, for the first time.

The portfolio acquired by VINCI Airports consists of:

• Two freeholds property: VINCI Airports is acquiring a 100 per cent stake in Belfast International Airport in Northern Ireland, which welcomed 5.8 million passengers in 2017, and a 90.1 per cent stake in Skavsta Airport near Stockholm, Sweden, which welcomed 2.1 million passengers in 2017.
• Three airports under concession: VINCI Airports is acquiring a 100 per cent stake in Orlando-Sanford International Airport (Florida, USA), which welcomed 2.9 million passengers in 2017, under a concession contract covering operation of the current terminal and car park with a residual term of 21 years; together with co-control stakes in Costa Rica’s two major airports; a 48.75 per cent stake in Juan Santamaria International Airport in San José and a 45 per cent stake in Daniel Oduber Quiros International Airport in Liberia, which served 4.8 million and 1.1 million passengers in 2017 respectively, under concession contracts with residual terms of eight and 13 years.
• Four full management contracts covering Hollywood Burbank Airport, which welcomed 4.7 million passengers in 2017, and Ontario International Airport, which welcomed 4.2 million passengers in 2017, in California; and Macon Downtown Airport and Middle Georgia Regional Airport in Georgia.
• Three partial management contracts covering US airports: Atlantic City International Airport in New Jersey, Raleigh Durham International Airport in North Carolina, and part of the international terminal at the airport in Atlanta, Georgia, the world’s largest airport in terms of traffic.