The group Atlantia, in consortium with Edf Invest, was awarded the 60% of the company that manages the airports of Nice, Cannes-Mandelieu and Saint Tropez. The majority share of Aeroports de la Cote d'Azur it was sold by the French state as part of the privatization process launched by the Paris government.
“First of all, the French government's decision recognizes the validity of our industrial project – commented the managing director of Atlantia, Giovanni Castellucci -. Nice airport is a unique asset, serving one of the world's most important tourist destinations, with strong growth potential, both in aviation activities, thanks to the constant growth of international passengers, also expected from the development of new markets, and in non-aviation activities, thanks to the proposed expansion of the offer towards the high end of customers. The operation fits perfectly into the framework of our growth strategies in global destination airports”.
Furthermore, according to Castellucci, "the potential improvement in performance thanks to the contribution of our industrial know-how at the basis of the success in recent years in the relaunch of the Leonardo da Vinci airport in Rome, makes this investment an attractive growth opportunity for the Group. We are happy to have the Edf group as a partner in this operation, which will bring its important experience as a long-term investor in the infrastructure sector and as a privileged partner with local communities".
Aeroports de la Cote d'Azur therefore controls in particular Nice which is a significant asset, being the third airport in France after the Parisian airports of Charles de Gaulle and Orly for passenger traffic with 12 million in 2015. The bidding consortium is made up 75% by the Atlantia Group and 25% by EDF Invest.
“At the moment – specifies the note from Atlantia – the consortium is the provisional contractor selected by the French Government for the purchase of the share held by the State in the airport. The final contractor will be confirmed in the coming months when the final terms of the negotiation will be defined. At present, the terms and conditions of the offer are subject to a confidentiality agreement with the French state. The company will provide to inform of all the economic details of the operation as soon as it is released from the obligation of confidentiality”.
