Balfour amid airports action
Controversial construction giant Balfour Beatty could be limbering up for a piece of the action should Gatwick and Stansted airports come on to the market.
Balfour Beatty put down its marker in the sector today with its second regional airport acquisition in 15 months, buying fast-growing Blackpool International Airport.
The deals come as construction companies and infrastructure funds talk about building consortiums for what could be a multibillion-pound auction of London's major airports should the Competition Commission force the breakup of BAA.
Balfour is paying £14 million cash for the 95% of Blackpool airport owned by Northern Ireland developer Mar Properties, which bought it for £13 million four years ago. The remaining 5% is owned by the local council.
The deal follows Balfour's £60 million takeover of Exeter Airport last year.
Balfour was last month named amongmore than 100 allegedly crooked building companies engaged in bidrigging. Its £100 million investment in Metronet went awry last year when the Tube maintenance company went bust. Previously, it was fined for its part in the fatal Hatfield derailment.
