An investment fund has bought almost half of Liverpool John Lennon Airport.
Ancala Partners has announced that it had bought a 35% stake in the airport from Peel Group - and another 10% from Liverpool City Council.
That gives Ancala a 45% stake in the airport , which served over 5m passengers last year and is the UK's 12th busiest airport. Ancala did not reveal the value of the deal.
Peel still owns 45% of the Speke site, while the council still owns 10%.
Ancala is an independent investment fund whose other assets include Portsmouth Water and Iceland's leading private electricity generator.
Spence Clunie, senior partner at Ancala, said: "Transport infrastructure is a highly promising segment of the market, so we are delighted to be acquiring a stake on behalf of our investors in such a prestigious regional airport.
"LJLA has already seen substantial growth in recent years and we see strong prospects for this continuing.
“We look forward to growing our partnership with the Peel Group, with whom we have a strong track record of creating value in infrastructure assets. Our aim is to work with Peel to make LJLA the first choice for passengers across the region, delivering new routes and services.”
Peel Group chief executive Steven Underwood said: “The successful track record we share with Ancala was a key factor in selecting them as our partner for LJLA.
"By building on the airport’s already exceptional operational standards and passenger experience, we aim to be best in class in all respects and to deliver increased value for all our stakeholders.”
The ECHO understands it will be business as usual for passengers using the airport.
