Macquarie denies it is eyeing a stake in Heathrow Airport

Macquarie Group has denied it is considering buying a stake in Heathrow Airport after it was reported the company was looking at buying a multibillion-pound slice of the airport from existing owners.

Over the weekend, the UK’s Telegraph reported Macquarie was considering buying out several of Heathrow Airport’s existing backers, some of whom are keen to sell their stakes.

Macquarie denied it was considering buying a stake in Heathrow Airport.Credit: AP

The Telegraph said Heathrow’s largest investor, Spanish firm Ferrovial, was looking to sell its shares in the airport, which could give other shareholders the opportunity to sell their holdings.

On Sunday evening, a spokeswoman for Macquarie denied it was mulling buying a stake in the airport: “Macquarie Asset Management is not currently considering an acquisition of a stake in Heathrow Airport Holdings Ltd,” she said.

The report said Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund Ardian was buying a 25 per cent stake from Ferrovial and it was understood to be seeking to raise capital to buy out other shareholders, including a Canadian pension fund and Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund. However, it said Macquarie could “leapfrog” Ardian and become a key player in the deal talks.

The Telegraph report cited unidentified London City sources who said Macquarie was looking at options including trying to buy as much as 60 per cent of the airport, or teaming up with Ardian and another Saudi fund.

Macquarie has made sizeable investments in UK infrastructure, with a Macquarie-led consortium’s ownership of Thames Water between 2016 and 2017 attracting criticism, as the utility has faced major financial problems due to hefty debts.

A Macquarie-led consortium also bought the Green Investment Bank from the UK government in 2017, despite opposition from critics in the UK. Macquarie, a global power in infrastructure investment and financing, is due to deliver its full year financial results on May 3.

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