Three UK airports have changed ownership for £1bn, passing into Spanish and Australian hands.
Aberdeen, Glasgow and Southampton airports were sold by Heathrow Airport Holdings (HAH) to a consortium formed by two companies - Spanish firm Ferrovial and Australia-based Macquarie.
Ferrovial already has 25% ownership of Heathrow, the UK's busiest airport, and holds a 25% stake in HAH, which was previously known as BAA.
HAH had previously operated seven airports until the Competition Commission ordered it to reduce its holdings.
It had already sold off Gatwick for £1.5bn and later sold Edinburgh for £807m. Stansted was sold for £1.5bn to council-controlled Manchester Airport.
Ferrovial chief executive Inigo Meiras said the company is committed to improve these facilities and their services in the hope of increasing further domestic and international destinations.
Glasgow had 7.4 million passengers in 2013, followed by Aberdeen with 3.4 million and Southampton with 1.7 million.
Comments
We take the instruction for 'open markets and easy competition' seriously - as, in the long run it grows the market. Only the strong - better managed, better resourced surviving. Which is what the EU needs.
Portugal is a brilliant example of what is wrong with the EU. Allowing idiotic choices to make certain business sectors 'strategically important' - so protecting them from foreign ownership. Such as Portugal Telecom and TAP the state airline.
So, if buying TAP the airline with its staff you also get, whether you want it or not, the Groundforce baggage handlers. The latter supposedly 'independent' to comply with Brussels - yet exactly the same workers as the old state airport baggage handlers.
It gets more bizarre, as this is therefore a backdoor route to forcing someone to also buy the state ANA airports - as several thousand baggage handlers are not much use doing anything more that baggage handle.
So no buyer for everything steps forward ... excellent RESULT!
Portugal keeps its illegally over subsidised flag carrier flying !