The new acquisition follows private investment house Ardian’s acquisition of a 22.6% stake in TopCo on December 12, 2024. Both stakes were bought from Ferrovial and other TopCo shareholders, including CDPQ, a global investment group.
“Since we became the largest shareholder of Heathrow in December, the airport has continued to perform strongly with traffic reaching 83.9 million passengers in 2024. We are delighted to be working with our fellow shareholders, the Heathrow management team and the UK authorities on our shared ambition to deliver sustainable growth of this iconic infrastructure. Investment in Heathrow will deliver economic benefits across the entire country,” said Mathias Burghardt, executive vice president, CEO of Ardian France and head of infrastructure, Ardian.
He added: “We are passionate about infrastructure and the role it plays enabling growth while supporting the transition to net zero. The transaction is a further sign of our strong commitment to investing in essential infrastructure in the UK.”
Burghardt’s sentiments were echoed by Juan Angoitia, co-head of infrastructure Europe and senior managing director, Ardian, who said: “Strong demand for aviation is underpinning the growth at Heathrow. We believe there are ways to build, expand and grow in a sustainable way and we will explore these with all stakeholders.”
The transaction is subject to complying with the right of first offer (ROFO) which may be exercised by TopCo shareholders pursuant to the Shareholders’ Agreement and the Articles of Association of the company. Full completion of the acquisition under the agreement is also subject to the satisfaction of applicable regulatory conditions.
