Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets (MIRA) has announced the acquisition of Farnborough airport from a consortium of private investors.
The purchase was made via Macquarie European Infrastructure Fund 6 and sees MIRA – part of the Macquarie Group – take control of the dedicated business aviation airport, which handles more than 30,000 air traffic movements each year.
Farnborough airport was the first dedicated business aviation hub to receive carbon neutral status from Airports Council International. It received approval to increase capacity to 50,000 movements per year after reporting a 7.4 per cent increase in 2017.
MIRA is a global investor in airport infrastructure and fixed-base operator (FBO) facilities, with around 72 million passengers using its managed airports every year. Its funds are invested in 12 commercial airports across Europe and Australia, as well as 68 FBO facilities in the US.
Leigh Harrison, head of MIRA EMEA, commented: “We are delighted to announce our investment in Farnborough airport. In addition to holding an important place in Aviation history, the airport is known for its high-quality offering to customers. Drawing on our extensive experience managing airport infrastructure around the world, we look forward to partnering with Farnborough airport to ensure it remains an important contributor to the local economy and a business aviation gateway to London and the South East.”
Brandon O’Reilly, CEO of the airport, said: “The significant investment that has occurred at Farnborough airport over the past two decades under the previous shareholders has been transformative. With a number of development projects already underway, we are excited to partner with Macquarie to further develop our offering to the business aviation market.”
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