Private equity firm 3i is today being linked with a possible bid for Edinburgh airport which has been put up for sale by airports operator BAA.
3i’s listed infrastructure division is understood to be working with M&G, the Prudential-owned City fund manager, and UK pension fund investor, Universities Superannuation Scheme, the Daily Telegraph reports.
BAA hopes to raise around £460 million from the sale of the airport, with the formal process due to start next month.
The group, led by 3i Infrastructure, will be one of a number of airport operators and private equity firms expected to take part in a competitive sales process for Scotland’s largest airport.
BAA opted to sell Edinburgh airport after the Competition Commission forced it to reduce its dominance of the market. It was ordered to sell Gatwick, Stansted and one of its Scottish airports.
Gatwick was sold to Global Infrastructure Partners in 2009 but BAA is appealing against the Stansted sell-off demand.
Aeroports de Paris, which owns Charles de Gaulle airport, and Global Infrastructure Partners are thought to be interested in a potential deal for Edinburgh airport, which handles around nine million passengers a year, according to the newspaper.
The Competition Commission has said that those already running an airport will be favoured in the bidding process over non-operators.