Belfast City Airport sold for €48m

Belfast City Airport has been bought by Spanish engineering and construction company Ferrovial, it was confirmed today.

The firm, which owns 12 other airports worldwide, paid £35m (€48m) for the airport, which was put on the market nine months ago by cash-strapped Canadian Bombardier Aerospace.

The Spanish company said in a statement that BCA had a 125-year concession to manage the city’s airport until 2114.

Juan Bejar, general manager of Ferrovial’s infrastructure division, said: “This operation is a further opportunity for growth in a strategic area.

“We are strengthening our position in the infrastructure concession business in the UK and our position in airport management worldwide to a total of 13 airports in Australia, the UK, Mexico and Chile, with a throughput of more than 41 million passengers per year.”

Belfast City is Ferrovial’s second UK airport – it jointly owns and manages Bristol Airport, which is the largest in the South West.

In a relatively short time since entering the market, the Spanish company has established itself as one of the world’s leading private sector airport managers.

Among its portfolio of airports is Australia’s largest, Sydney airport, which handles some 24 million passengers a year.

Belfast City is projected to handle 1.8 million passengers this year and after the construction of a new £22m (€30.5m) terminal last year, has capacity to expand to three million passengers a year.

Luis Sanchez Salmeron, head of Ferrovial’s airports division, said: “As well as the superb location, facilities in good condition and a profitable operation, BCA has scope to increase revenues from aeronautics and non-aeronautic sources by developing the airport’s commercial activities.”