Aeroports de Paris, the company that operates the French capital’s three airports, will soon be privatized under plans by Pres. Emmanuel Macron to turn assets into cash for government investment. The company is now 50.6% owned by the state.
With a potential market value of about €15 billion, the government stake could be worth about €8.2 billion, a big chunk of Macron’s goal of raising more than €10 billion through privatization. It is still possible that the government might want to hold some smaller stake, as the operation is profitable.
Current law requires a 50% public holding in the group, so legislation authorizing the sale will need to be passed. Actual ownership of the airports isn’t at stake, only the right to operate and profit is up for grabs. Once the company is no longer essentially a government entity, it will need to negotiate a long-term lease.
Photo: Terminal 2, CDG (Dmitry Avdeev/Wikimedia)
