From the Abertis website:
"Both Abertis and Aena consider that TBI represents an excellent opportunity. For Abertis, it means gaining greater weight in the airport business, strengthening its position as global manager of infrastructures.
For Aena it represents the broadening its interests in international airports.
In Europe, TBI has benefited from the significant increase of the low cost airlines. The number of passengers in this segment has increased to 10.8 million at September 2004, an increase of 12% on the previous year.
The main asset of TBI, London Luton airport, is located in one of the most important world markets in terms of annual air traffic. In this respect, London Luton will see this figure of travellers increase according to the forecasts as outlined in the White Paper on the Future of Air Traffic, prepared by the British Government, which signals congestion in other airports of the South-east of Britain.
The combination of experience in the airport sector of TBI, together with the experience of abertis in the management of infrastructures strengthened by its global presence and financial capacity, as well as the position of Aena as global operator of aeronautical infrastructures, guarantees continued growth of the airport business of TBI and will provide a platform for future investments in the sector.
Once the operation is closed, abertis and Aena will study the possibility of bringing into the consortium one or more financial partners, but only with a minority shareholding, as abertis will hold on to its majority position in this consortium.
Abertis
Abertis is the result of the merger in 2003 of Acesa and Áurea, which lead to one of the leading infrastructures groups in Europe.
The leading shareholders of abertis are “la Caixa”, leader in the financial sector, and ACS, group leader in the construction and services sector, with activities in infrastructure projects and concessions, including airports. Possible synergies between the TBI and the airport activities of ACS will be explored.
In addition to the highway business, abertis operates in other business segments that currently represent 15% of EBITDA –car parks, telecommunication infrastructures, airports and logistic services. In airports, abertis has an 85% shareholding in Codad, which holds the concession to operate El Dorado International Airport at Bogotá, Colombia, which has 69 percent of international flights to the country and 36 percent of the national flights.
Abertis also has significant international operations with shareholdings in Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Puerto Rico, Andorra, Italy, Portugal, United Kingdom, Morocco and South Africa. In the United Kingdom, abertis holds 25 percent of the operator R.M.G., owner of the shadow toll highway concessions of the A1-M (21 km) and the A419/417 (52 km).
Aena and Aena Internacional
Aena is the Spanish state operator of airports and the largest airport operator group in the world. It manages a network of 47 airports with a volume of 153 million passengers in 2003. It is also responsible for the operation of the Spanish air navigation system through seven air traffic control centres that control some 2.5 million movements every year.
Aena, through its international activities subsidiary, Aena Internacional, is involved in the management of sixteen airports in three different countries, which recorded a volume of 20 million passengars in 2003.
In air navigation, Aena Internacional plays an active role in the projects of the European Single Sky program, together with the main providers of European air navigation services.
In 2003, Aena had a turnover of 1,887 million euros, with EBIT (earnings before interests and taxes) of 209 million euros and aeronautical income in airports represented 38 and 39 percent of profit, respectively, in 2003."
Maybe at long last, this'll enable Luton to give BAA's London airports monopoly and Stansted in particular, the run for their money they justly deserve...
Damn good news if you ask me!!
