French airports operator Groupe Aeroports de Paris (ADP) said it has begun exclusive negotiations to acquire Airport International Group (AIG), which runs Jordan’s Queen Alia International Airport (QAIA).
“Groupe ADP, in consortium with Meridiam and ASMA Capital Partners B.S.C., enters into exclusive negotiations to acquire Airport International Group (“AIG”), concessionaire of Queen Alia International Airport in Amman, Jordan,” ADP said in a statement posted on its website, adding that any deal would be subject to the approval of the Jordanian government and project lenders. No further details were given.
ADP, which runs Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport, has owned a 9.5 percent stake in AIG via a subsidiary since 2007, when AIG was awarded a 25-year contract to run and rehabilitate QAIA. The public-private partnership centered on an $850 million plan to expand and upgrade the airport’s infrastructure.
The airport dealt with a record number of passengers during 2016. Annual passenger traffic rose 4.4 percent to just over 7.4 million. Aircraft movement rose 2.8 percent to 73,784, while cargo traffic edged up 0.5 percent to 101,172 tons.
QAIA was also voted the best airport in the Middle East at the Airport Quality Service Awards for both 2015 and 2016.
