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Mubadala weighs buying stake in Heathrow airport

By Pramod Kumar
Passengers queue at Heathrow Terminal 2. Mubadala is considering an investment after being approached by buyout company Ardian Reuters/Henry Nicholls
Passengers queue at Heathrow Terminal 2. Mubadala is considering an investment after being approached by buyout company Ardian

Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala Investment Company is studying the possibility of acquiring a stake in the UK’s busiest airport, Heathrow, according to a media report.

The UAE sovereign wealth fund is weighing an investment after being approached by Paris-based buyout company Ardian, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

Discussions are ongoing and no agreements have been finalised.

Spanish infrastructure major Ferrovial agreed last November to sell its 25 percent stake in FGP Topco, the parent company of London Heathrow, to Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund and Ardian for nearly $3 billion. 

Qatar already holds 20 percent of Heathrow’s capital, while smaller investors Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, Singapore’s GIC sovereign fund and the Australian Retirement Trust each have stakes below 13 percent.  

Mubadala, overseen by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, vice-president of the UAE, also owns Manchester City FC. 

The fund has invested in the UK’s CityFibre, a broadband infrastructure provider.

Ferrovial has held a stake in Heathrow since 2006, when it acquired a majority of the airport for around $20 billion. Over time, the company has progressively reduced its stake.  

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