LONDON (Thomson Financial) - Manchester Airports Group said it would be
interested in buying Gatwick Airport should Grupo Ferrovial-owned BAA be forced
by the Competition Commission to sell it, the BBC reported on its website,
citing the company's chief executive.
MAG currently owns Manchester, East Midlands, Bournemouth and Humberside
airports, and is the largest operator in the country after BAA.
Geoff Muirhead, chief executive of MAG, told the BBC: "We'd be interested in
any assets that come up, on the premise that we feel we could improve the
performance of the group on the back of it, at a price that was sensible."
The Competition Commission last month said that BAA, which owns seven United
Kingdom airports, "may not be serving well the interests of either airlines or
passengers".
No conclusions have been reached, but the CC confirmed its final findings in
August could require "the sale of one or more of BAA's airports".
The BBC said Gatwick is seen as the most likely candidate for sale, with
industry experts estimating the London airport could fetch around 2 billion
pounds.
Last week, a source close to Abertis Infraestructuras SA. said the
infrastructure company was also interested in buying some of BAA's assets should
the break-up go ahead.
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