Plymouth City Airport

British and Irish airport investments continue busy merger and acquisition activity

If there was any doubt that the UK & Ireland remains one of the most dynamic air transport markets in the world that suspicion was dispelled by the level of recent and potential activity in airport M&A.

With Edinburgh Airport about to change hands, Glasgow Prestwick and Manston (Kent) airports may follow this year, as will London Stansted, later. Cardiff Airport’s CEO resigned after a politician complained about lack of investment by the operator and there are plans to re-open Plymouth Airport under new ownership.

Meanwhile, in Ireland, the case has been made for a change of ownership at Shannon Airport - but not an outright privatisation – signaling the potential break-up of the Dublin Airport Authority.

Britain’s airports battle for passengers, airlines ... and survival

There was a time when any self respecting city craved its own airport. In 2011, such is the pressure from powerful environmental lobbies over emissions, noise, turbulence and wake vortex, protection of bird habitats etc, in addition to consistent economic pressures, that some cities have lost, or could lose, their airport. And as they are mainly in the private sector in the UK, some politically left-leaning councils don’t seem too concerned.

Questions asked of UK's aviation shortcomings as European airports cope with snow

For the fourth time in three years air transport in northern Europe, and especially the UK, has been hard hit by severe winter weather, which has dumped heavy snow across the continent. As has happened previously, there have been mass flight cancellations and the travel plans of hundreds of thousands of people using London Heathrow Airport over the Christmas period have been put in jeopardy. Now the recriminations have started.