Cdp Equity enters with 8.9% in 2i Aeroporti. For the future it aims at control
Negotiations advanced with majority shareholder F2i to enter the holding company of Italy's leading network of airports
Cdp Equity is ready to enter 2i Aeroporti, the holding company with which the infrastructure fund F2i controls Italy's leading network in the sector, with its 45% share in Sea (Linate, Malpensa and indirectly Orio al Serio) as the 'jewel in the crown'.
The negotiations, according to Radiocor, have been going on for several months and have now reached a turning point, so much so that the companies involved have announced the signing of a termsheet.
Due diligence will begin shortly: in the event of a positive outcome, a binding agreement will be reached, which will lead the investment holding company controlled by Cdp to take over 8.9% of 2i Aeroporti. A share that at first glance may appear small, but will nevertheless be part of a broader agreement, which in the coming years may open up various scenarios, including one in which Cdp Equity will be able to strengthen its grip on 2i Aeroporti.
In the shorter term, the aim is to participate - on the strength of the new shareholding structure - in the long-awaited tender for the privatisation of Catania airport.
The operation starts from a very simple concept: airports, also in the light of the geopolitical context and developments, are considered a strategic element at national level. Like, moreover, agribusiness, pharmaceuticals, digital payments, energy, tlc or defence. These are all sectors in which Cdp Equity, led by Fabio Barchiesi, in recent years as a strong partner has carried out recovery operations (Open Fiber and Ansaldo Energia), relaunches (Saipem-Subsea 7 and Fincantieri) but also growth operations, for example through its recent support for the maxi acquisition in the USA of Angelini.
