France’s CDC would look ‘with interest’ at state’s Paris airport stake

French public-sector lender Caisse des Depots will consider buying a stake in the Aeroports de Paris (ADP) if the state reduces its stake in the airport operator, CDC head Pierre-Rene Lemas said Saturday. The French government has said that it will begin reducing its corporate holdings in the coming months to finance a new fund for investments in innovation. While it has not said which stakes will be put on the block, industry sources told Reuters last month that the government would likely start its privatisation programme with ADP, in which the state holds a 50.6% stake. “If it’s put up for sale, I’ll have a look at it with interest. It depends on the return on investment, we can’t do it at a loss,” CDC’s Lemas said. ADP operates France’s two biggest airports, Charles de Gaulle in the north of the capital, and Orly in the south.<br/>