Ardian to Sell its 49% Stake in London Luton Airport

The fourth busiest London airport, or the 5 busiest UK Airport, London Luton, has just revealed that there will be an ownership change, as Ardian, a private investment firm, has signed an agreement to sell its 49% stake in the airport.

During a statement yesterday (April 24), Ardian officially revealed that it will be selling its stake to AMP Capital. AMP Capital Global head of infrastructure equity Boe Pahari said, "London Luton Airport is a high-quality capital city airport with significant further growth potential, catering for the high-volume London market, which makes it a compelling investment opportunity". Ardian acquired London Luton Airport back in 2013 and has since invested more than £160 million. London Luton has grown and is now one of the fastest growing airports in London.

Ardian is an extremely large company that was founded in 1966. The investment firm is a French-based company however it has invested in many different companies including many in the US, Germany, the UK and Asia. Owning over 130 companies worldwide, the firm is ranked as one of the largest companies by amount raised in equity by Private Equity International.

London Luton Airport is one of 6 international airports serving the city of London. Currently, 11 passenger airlines serve the airport, however many of them operate very large hubs or secondary bases at the airport. Low cost airlines such as Ryanair and Wizzair favour London Luton over other more expensive airports serving London including London Heathrow and Gatwick. Wizzair, TUI, Ryanair and Eazyjet operate quite large bases at Luton, while El-Al Israel, TAROM and Titan Airways operate to one destination. 5 cargo airlines serve Luton, all of them serving more than one destination, excluding Air France Cargo.

London Lutons' future is looking great, and with the new management, it is likely that the airport will continue to thrive and may soon become the leading London airport.