This listing includes the world's largest airport, construction and investment groups with significant business links and foreign airport holdings beyond their national boundaries
This year has seen a raft of activity in the airport ownership sector, including a number of airports changing hands, the shelving of plans in October to privatise Amsterdam Schiphol, and signs of international ambitions from Dubai Aerospace Enterprise's airports division.
In May, BAA completed the sale of its near-75% stake in Budapest Ferihegy Airport to Germany's Hochtief AirPort. BAA acquired the 75% minus one share stake in the Hungarian airport in late 2005, but began selling off its interests in overseas airports shortly after it was taken over by Spanish infrastructure firm, Ferrovial. Hochtief acquired the stake for €1.9 billion ($2.7 billion) as part of a consortium which also includes Canada's Caisse de Depot et Placement du Quebec and Singapore's GIC Special Investments.
In New Zealand, Auckland International Airport became a takeover target, attracting bids from Dubai's DAE and Canada's CCP Investment Board. DAE in July offered to purchase a 51-60% stake in Auckland for about NZ$2.6 billion ($2 billion), but later withdrew its offer following political opposition in New Zealand. In October, Auckland ended talks with CCP, which had proposed creating a newly listed airport company that would have been up to 61%-owned by existing shareholders. DAE's bid for Auckland demonstrated the company's intention to establish a foothold in the airports market. It has said it is looking to own and/or manage airports around the world, with India a possible target.
In Europe, long-running plans to privatise Schiphol were sunk when the Dutch government decided against a flotation.
Abertis
Base: Spain
Revenues: $354 million (airport segment revenues)
Main airports: London Luton, Orlando Sanford, Stockholm Skavsta
Passenger traffic: 22.2 million
Description: Abertis is a private transport corporation. Abertis Airports owns the group's two airport infrastructure management companies ACDL (through which Abertis acquired TBI in 2005) and Codad. ACDL operates eight airports and manages a further five.
Owned airports: La Paz John F Kennedy (Bolivia), Cochabamba (Bolivia), Cardiff International, Belfast International - all 100%
Equity stakes: Stockholm Skavsta - 90.1%, Santa Cruz Viru Viru (Bolivia) - 100%, Orlando Sanford (TBI operates the terminal complex on a long-term lease and management contract) - 100%, London Luton - 100%
Management contracts: Toronto City Centre, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International, Burbank Glendale Pasadena, San Jose Juan Santamaria (Costa Rica). Miami International, through ACDL.
Aena
Base: Spain
Revenues: $3.3 billion
Main airports: Madrid, Barcelona
Passenger total: 190.5 million
Description: Aena manages 47 airports in Spain. It participates in the management of a further 29 airports in seven countries. In January 2005 Aena gained access to a network of eight airports through its 10% stake in ACDL.
Equity stakes: In Colombia it has stakes in Cartagena - 40%, Barranquilla - 40% and Cali - 33.3%. Through Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacifico Aena manages 12 Mexican airports including Guadalajara - 15%.
Aéroports de Paris
Base: France
Revenues: $2.6 billion
Main airports: Paris Charles de Gaulle, Paris Orly
Passenger total: 82.5 million
Description: As well as operating the main Paris airports, Aéroports de Paris has interests in airports in Europe, China and Cambodia. It was partially privatised in June 2006.
Owned airports: Paris Orly, Charles de Gaulle, Le Bourget - all 100%
Managements contracts with equity stakes: Phnom Penh International and Siem Reap (through Société Concessionnaire de l'Aéroport), Beijing Capital International Airport - 6.6%, France Handling - 34%, SAB Société de Développement et de Promotion - 25% (SAB owns Liege Airport in Belgium).
Airports Company South Africa
Base: South Africa
Revenues: $365.4 million
Main airports: Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban
Passenger total: 33 million
Description: ACSA owns and manages 11 of South Africa's airports. In February a consortium compromising GVK and ACSA was granted a 74% stake in Mumbai airports by the Indian government.
copenhagen airports
Base: Denmark
Revenues: $488 million
Main airports: Copenhagen
Passenger total: 20.8 million
Description: Copenhagen Airports owns two airports in Denmark and is increasingly active overseas. Macquarie Airports acquired a controlling stake in Copenhagen Airports in December 2005.
Owned airports: Copenhagen Kastrup and Roskilde - 100%
Equity stakes: Newcastle - 49%, ASUR (Mexico) -3.75%. ITA (Mexico) Inversiones y Tecnicas - 49%.
Dublin Airport Authority
Base: Ireland
Revenues: $745.8 million
Main airports: Dublin
Passenger total: 21.2 million
Owned airports: Dublin
Joint venture partner: Hochtief AirPort - Hochtief AirPort and Dublin Airport Authority are a consortium with a variety of stakes in European airports under the name Airport Partners. Hochtief holds 60% of the consortium and Dublin Airport Authority the remaining 40%.
Equity stakes: Hamburg - 20% through Airport Partners, Düsseldorf - 40% through Airport Partners.
Ferrovial
Base: Spain
Revenues: $5.2 billion (estimated airport revenues)
Main airports: London Gatwick, London Heathrow, London Stansted, Bristol International, Belfast City
Passenger total: 156.7 million
Description: In July 2006 the Ferrovial-led consortium Airport Development and Investment (ADI) acquired BAA, which owns and operates seven UK airports and has management or equity stakes in 10 airports outside the UK. Ferrovial already was managing two airports in the UK (Bristol and Belfast), as well as Sydney in Australia and Antofagasta in Chile.
Owned airports: London Stansted, Southampton, Aberdeen-Dyce, Edinburgh, Glasgow, London Gatwick, London Heathrow - all 100% through BAA. Belfast City - 100%, Bristol - 50% through a consortium with Macquarie, Sydney - 20.9% through Southern Cross Airports Corporation.
Management contracts:
Baltimore/Washington International, Naples Capodichino, Newark and Darwin, Melbourne, Perth, Tennant Creek, Launceston and Alice Springs in Australia (all though BAA). Sydney Kingsford Smith, Antofagasta and Niagara Falls International (through its subsidiary Cintra).
Flughafen Wien
Base: Austria
Revenues: $602 million
Main airports: Vienna International
Passenger total: 16.9 million
Description: As well as operating Vienna airport, Flughafen Wien has a number of overseas airport interests.
Owned airports: Vienna - 100%
Management contracts: Tehran Imam Khomeini, Istanbul Ataturk
Equity stakes: Malta - 57.1%, Flughafen Friedrichshafen - 25.15%.
Fraport
Base: Germany
Revenues: $2.8 billion
Main airports: Frankfurt Main
Passenger total: 52.8 million
Description: Fraport owns and operates Frankfurt airport. It also has interests in the operations of other airports within Germany and worldwide. Owns a 74% stake in Delhi as part of a consortium.
Owned airports: Frankfurt Main
Management contracts: Frankfurt Main, Lima Jorge Chavez (as part of the consortium Lima Airport Partners)
Equity stakes: Lima Jorge Chavez International - 100%, Antalya (Turkey) - 50% stake in Antalya Terminal, Portway Handling de Portugal - 40%, Hanover - 30%, Brisbane Airport - 1%, Frankfurt Hahn - 73%
Hochtief AirPort
Base: Germany
Revenues: $351.3 million
Passenger total: 8.2 million
Description: Hochtief AirPort is the airport investment and management division of construction company Hochtief. It recently agreed a deal to buy BAA's 75% stake in Hungary's Budapest Airport.
Joint ventures: Hochtief AirPort and Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) have a consortium with a variety of stakes in European airports under the name Airport Partners. Hochtief holds 60% and DAA 40%.
Management contracts: Tirana Rinas (Albania) - Hochtief holds a 47% stake as part of the Tirana Airport Partners consortium.
Equity stakes: Düsseldorf - 50% (through Airport Partners), Hamburg - 49% (through Airport Partners), Athens International Airport - 26.6%, Southern Cross Airports Corporation Holdings (Sydney, Australia) - 10.50%.
Houston Airport System
Base: USA
Revenues: $394 million
Main airports: Houston William Hobby, Ellington Field and George Bush Intercontinental
Passenger total: 51.1 million
Description: Houston Airport System owns and operates the city's main airports. In October 2004 it was announced that a new airport in Quito, Ecuador would be constructed and operated by Quiport, which is part-owned by Houston Airport System.
Owned airports: Houston Hobby, Ellington Field, Bush Intercontinental
Infratil
Base: New Zealand
Revenues: $118 million
Main airports: Wellington, Lübeck, Kent International, Glasgow Prestwick
Passenger total: 7 million
Description: Infratil is a specialist investor in infrastructure assets.
Owned airports: Lübeck - 90%, Wellington - 66%, Glasgow Prestwick - 77.3%, Kent International - 100%Macquarie
Base: Australia
Revenues: $1.1 billion
Main airports: Sydney Kingsford Smith
Description: Macquarie Airports is an Australian private equity investment fund which makes investments in airports and associated infrastructure.
Equity stakes: Brussels South Charleroi - 70%, Southern Cross Airports Corporation Holdings (Sydney, Australia) - 55.5%, Bristol Airport - 32.1%, Copenhagen Airports - 53.4%
Malaysia Airports Berhad
Base: Malaysia
Revenues: $310 million
Main airports: Kuala Lumpur
Passenger total: 42.4 million
Description: Management services for the Phnom Penh and Siem Reap airports in Cambodia through joint venture with Aeroports de Paris. In 2006 a consortium including Malaysia Airports was granted a 74% stake in Delhi airport by the Indian government.
Owned airports: Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen - 20%
Equity stakes: Hyderabad (India)
Schiphol Group
Base: Netherlands
Revenues: $1.3 billion
Main airports: Amsterdam Schiphol
Passenger total: 47.2 million
Owned airports: Rotterdam, Lelystad and Amsterdam Schiphol - 100%
Management contracts: JFK International Arrivals Terminal - 40%. Stockholm Arlanda, Jakarta Soekarno Hatta, Aruba Queen Beatrix International.
Equity stakes: Brisbane Airport Corporation - Schiphol Group holds this stake through its subsidiary Schiphol Australia - 16%.
Unique
Base: Switzerland
Revenues: $590 million
Main airports: Zürich
Passenger total: 19.2 million
Description: Controls three Chilean airports via a joint venture through wholly-owned subsidiary Unique Airports Worldwide. Also part of a consortium in India which is building will operate a new airport in Bangalore, due to open in 2008.
Owned airports: Zürich - 100%, Puerto Montt, La Serena, Calama (Chile) - 100%
Equity stakes: Porlamar - Del Caribe - 49.5%
Vancouver Int'l Airport Authority
Base: Canada
Revenues: $348 million
Main airports: Vancouver International
Passenger total: 17.1 million
Owned airports: Vancouver International
Management contracts: Dominican Republic (six airports), Santiago (Chile), Turks and Caicos, Montego Bay, Kamloops, Hamilton, Moncton and Cranbrook.
Equity stakes: InterAirports (Honduras)
VINCI Airports
Base: France
Revenues: $67.8 million
Description: VINCI Airports manages 17 airports worldwide and its subsidiary.
Management contracts: Phnom Penh Pochentong - 70% of concession holder, Grenoble St Geoirs, Chambery-Aix (France)
Equity stakes: SETA (holds 15% of OMA, owner of 13 Mexican airports) - 37.5%, ADP Management (subsidiary of VINCI Airports and Aeroports de Paris) - 34%, ITA (holds 7.65% stake in ASUR) - 24.5%.
airport profit streak continues
Airports in the Airline Business top 100 (see p48-49) collectively turned a $6 billion net profit in 2006 with a healthy 11.4% net profit margin. This compared to a 0.4% net profit margin for top airlines. See charts below.
Source: Airline Business
