Heathrow Airport Holdings says it is intends to sell off Aberdeen, Glasgow and Southampton Airports, by the end of the year, after the company’s shareholders and management reconsidered its ‘strategic position’.

 

“Over recent months Heathrow Airport Holdings group shareholders and management have been considering their strategic position in relation to our three airports, Aberdeen, Glasgow and Southampton,” said an HAH spokesperson.

 

“As a result the group is now formally entering a sale process. Whilst there is currently no certainty that a sale will be concluded, the group intends to work towards completing a transaction by the end of the year.”

 

With some 30 airlines serving approximately 100 destinations worldwide, including Canada, the US, the Caribbean, Europe, North Africa and the Gulf, Glasgow is Scotland’s principal long-haul airport as well as Scotland’s largest charter hub. Retail operators include WDFG and LSTR.

 

Stansted Airport  (left) was acquired from HAH in 2013 by Manchester Airports Group (MAG).

 

TERMINAL REDEVELOPMENT AT ABERDEEN

Aberdeen Airport – where WDFG is the current retail operator – received 3.5m passengers in 2013. Recent developments include the 124m extension to the main runway, a new covered international walkway, a £5m parking deck and a resurfacing project. The next major project is the £13 million terminal redevelopment, set to be complete by 2017.

 

Southampton Airport received 1.72m passengers in 2013 and boasts over 800sq m of retail space including a World Duty Free store.

 

The Manchester Airports Group (MAG) acquired London Stansted Airport from Heathrow Airport Holdings for £1.5bn ($2.37bn) in January 2013.

 

Approximately 10,200 people work at Stansted, including 1,400 airport employees and the airport was put up for sale after the UK Competition Commission ruled that BAA – as it was known then – operated a monopoly on London’s airports. This led to the earlier sale of Gatwick Airport