Manchester Airport Could Purchase Gatwick Airport

The bosses of Manchester Airport could purchase Gatwick Airport if the Competition Commission decides that BAA will be forced to sell, after comments on their website seemed to indicate a possibility.

MAG (Manchester Airports Group) have confirmed on their website www.manchesterairport.co.uk that they have an interest in adding assets to their portfolio which will give their shareholders increased value. The possible sale of Gatwick Airport would seem to fit that criteria perfectly.

One stumbling block for the MAG group is that they may struggle to afford the hefty price tag of £3bn which is widely believed to be the price BAA would ask for Gatwick Airport. As a result of this MAG would most likely look for other investors, with Virgin rumoured recently to be possibly interested in being part of a consortium that would purchase the airport.

The problems for BAA may not end there however, as it is still possible that the Competition Commission could force them to sell Stansted Airport as well as possibly one of its main Scottish airports. No concrete news on this is available currently though.

A decision by the Competition Commission to force BAA to sell one or more of its airports would be a unique situation as it would be the first occasion that they have had to force a sale - apart from during takeovers and mergers.

Published by: Jon Vickery