Catania Airport privatisation - interest from Italy, Europe, South America, India and Middle East

Italy was one of the first European countries to embrace airport privatisation - and any privatisation for that matter - with Aeroporti di Roma originally privatised by way of an IPO in 1997, and subsequently owned today almost 100% by an Italian infrastructure holding company that is one of 10 organisations to get through the first round of bids for Catania Fontanarossa Airport in Sicily, Italy's fifth busiest airport.

Considering the dearth in M&A activity in the sector since the COVID-19 pandemic this opportunity aroused interest from 14 companies which is as high a collective total since the aborted St Louis Lambert lease in the USA in 2019 to the best of CAPA - Centre for Aviation's knowledge. Of the remaining bidders three are Italian, four from elsewhere in Europe and one each from Argentina, India and Oman.

The usual 'giants' of the business are well represented but what is intriguing about this tender is the emergence of a couple of outsiders that have no current international airport assets but which have surprisingly good qualifications eventually to succeed.

This report examines the credentials of all the bidders and also provides a link to an earlier (2026) report which sets out the attractions of the airport.