VINCI Airports signed an agreement to acquire 29.99% of OMA (Grupo Aeroportuario del Centro Norte). This transaction allows VINCI Airports to add to its portfolio 13 airports located in northern and central Mexico, which handled a total of 23 million passengers in 2019 (18 million in 2021).
The company thus gains a foothold in the third most populous country in the Americas, where passenger numbers in the second quarter of 2022 already managed to surpass pre-pandemic levels. In the remaining concession period, with a contract end date of 2048, VINCI aims to implement its long-term partnership model to support the country’s tourism industry and economic growth.
Following financial close, which is expected to be completed by the end of 2022, the concessionaire’s network will include more than 70 airports in 13 countries, including eight airports in Latin America and the Caribbean: Arroyo Carril (EPS), Barahona (BRX), Puerto Plata (POP), Samaná (AZS), Santo Domingo/La Isabela (JBQ) and Santo Domingo/Las Américas (SDQ) in the Dominican Republic; Salvador (SSA) in Brazil; and Santiago (SCL) in Chile.
VINCI recently took over seven airports in Brazil and seven in Cape Verde.
Airports under concession by VINCI Airport in Mexico
Among the main airports of Grupo Aeroportuario Centro-Norte (OMA) is Monterrey (MTY), which serves Mexico’s industrial capital. It is the country’s fifth-largest airport and accounts for nearly half of OMA’s passenger numbers, with more than 11 million passengers served in 2019.
Monterrey is connected to 29 domestic destinations by Aeromar, Aeromexico, TAR Aerolineas, Viva Aerobus and Volaris; and eleven international cities with Aeromar, Aeromexico, American Airlines, Copa Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Frontier Airlines and United Airlines. According to data obtained through Cirium, the airport has an average of 202 flights per day and 6,265 per month.
It is followed by Culiacán, which represents 11% of OMA’s airports, with more than 2.7 million passengers, serving 10 domestic destinations, and Phoenix, United States.
In the heart of Mexico’s mining industry, Chihuahua and Ciudad Juarez follow, accounting for 7% of OMA’s passenger traffic. Mazatlán, as well as eight other regional and tourist airports on the Pacific Coast and in Central Mexico, close out VINCI’s thirteen shareholder airports: Acapulco, San Luis Potosí, Torreón, Zihuatanejo, Durango, Zacatecas, Tampico and Reynosa.
Viva Aerobus and Volaris are the main airlines serving OMA’s airports, representing 36% and 23% of seat supply, respectively. Both airlines are based at the Monterrey airport.
According to the concessionaire’s latest financial report, OMA increased its earnings in the first half of 2022. Its attributable net income was MXN1.673 billion (USD82 million), an increase of 61.6% compared to the same period in 2021 and 4.2% versus 2019 figures
During the course of 2022, OMA Carga mobilized 22,317 of tons of goods, representing a 31.5% increase in revenues compared to the same period in 2021. Monterrey, being an industrial hub, is served by eight cargo airlines, mainly to destinations in the United States.
