The French group VINCI Airports, one of the largest airport operators in the world, signed today the agreement to purchase an effective 50.01% stake of Edinburgh Airport Limited, the controller of the main Scottish airport. The rest of the shares will remain in the hands of Global Infrastructure Partners, owner of the airport since 2012.
The amount of the transaction is around 1.27 billion British pounds, and it is expected to be finalized during the summer of 2024 after receiving regulatory authority approval.
As detailed by VINCI Airports in a statement, in 2023 Edinburgh airport had revenues of 272 million British pounds with an EBITDA margin of 65%. The company expects to further enhance the airport’s development both in the aeronautical and non-aeronautical sector, as well as deploy its environmental expertise to improve ESG metrics.
“We welcome and look forward to working with VINCI Airports and Global Infrastructure Partners, two of the most respected airport investors and operators in the world,” said Gordon Dewar, Chief Executive of Edinburgh Airport.
“The management team -which remains in place- is fully committed to working with our investors to improve customer service, accelerate our decarbonization plans, and strengthen Scotland’s connectivity with the world, which ultimately drives the country’s international competitiveness and prosperity,” he continued.
Edinburgh joins London-Gatwick and Belfast in strengthening VINCI Airports’ presence in the United Kingdom, its second largest market with revenues of almost 6 billion euros in 2023.
In 2023, Edinburgh airport handled 14.4 million passengers, a figure 28% higher than in 2022. Aircraft movement reached 115,000 (+17%). Its network reaches 152 destinations by 35 airlines. It is responsible for generating 28,000 jobs in Scotland, contributing to the local economy with 1.4 billion British pounds.
According to data obtained by Aviacionline through Cirium, in April Ryanair was the company with the largest offer of seats in Edinburgh, representing 31.7% of the total. It was followed by Easyjet with 28.8% and British Airways completed the top three with 10.4%.
