Brussels Airport: Macquarie selling and pension funds contending

Some of the large global organisations that have taken an interest in the airport sector for investment purposes are starting to follow in the footsteps of the smaller, more regional ones, which used to be involved in it but stood down or reduced their attachment.

But for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction, and the wave of interest from pension funds in particular appears to be as hooked as ever on airports, now supplemented by insurance companies and other financial institutions that are seeking a piece of the action - especially in Europe.

This report deals with one such case: the projected sale of equity in a European airport by an Australian-based fund manager, potentially to one or other Canadian pension funds supported by European finance houses with no experience of the sector.