Manchester Airports Group seeks international expansion

The CE of Manchester Airports Group is seeking international expansion as the aviation industry recovers from the pandemic. Ken O’Toole said the company, which owns Manchester, London Stansted and East Midlands airports, wants to sign commercial deals to manage others overseas in the short term before considering buying another hub.   “Pre-Covid, we bid on a number of international opportunities. And I am quite keen that we continue to look at those commercial opportunities,” he said. O’Toole hopes to capitalise on plans by some state-owned airports to shake up operations and “re-energise” in an effort to attract more passengers following the pandemic. Although large airports and those in regions popular with tourists have rebounded strongly, some of the smaller airports are struggling to recover. Passenger numbers at airports that handle less than 1mn travellers a year are a third below their pre-Covid-19 levels, according to industry body ACI Europe. O’Toole’s company, owned by Manchester City Council, IFM Global Infrastructure Fund and the nine other Greater Manchester local authorities, has a public-private ownership structure that would give it an edge over “aggressive” infrastructure funds in the race to expand, he said. “The conversations I’ve had with governments around the world, people see that as a very positive characteristic, and probably one more aligned to strategic long-term partnerships than some of the more aggressive funds that have come in and run airports in different places,” he explained.<br/>