Buyout group Ardian and PIF agree deal for 38% stake in Heathrow airport
French private equity firm and Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund enter into revised agreement for the facility
Private equity group Ardian and Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund have entered a revised agreement to acquire a roughly 38 per cent stake of London’s Heathrow airport.
Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund and Ardian negotiated a deal last November to buy infrastructure group Ferrovial’s 25 per cent stake in the airport’s parent company for £2.4bn.
However, the deal was complicated by some of Heathrow’s other shareholders, who in January used “tag along” rights to sell a portion of their holdings alongside Ferrovial.
In the deal announced on Friday, Ardian will acquire a 22.6 per cent stake while PIF will acquire 15 per cent of Heathrow.
Ardian said it was “pleased to have worked closely with the parties to find this revised agreement and reiterates its strong commitment to investing the UK.”