A majority stake in Gatwick Airport is to be sold to French operator Vinci Airports for £2.9bn.
Vinci Airports, part of infrastructure group Vinci, will buy 50.01% of the UK’s second-busiest airport. The other 49.99% will be managed by current owners Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP).
The airport was closed in the run-up to Christmas after reports of drone sightings, in what is thought to be the most disruptive incident of its kind. Flights were grounded and about 140,000 passengers affected over three days during the incident.
In 2016, Gatwick’s expansion plans were dealt a blow when the government rejected its proposal for a new second runway while giving the go-ahead for Heathrow to build a third runway.