Deals
Hungary Teams Up With Vinci on Plan to Purchase Budapest Airport
- Government sells stake in bank, lines up financing for deal
- Earlier acquisition attempt valued the airport at €4.4 billion
Passengers in the departures hall at Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport in Budapest, Hungary.
Photographer: Akos Stiller/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Hungary is working with French infrastructure giant Vinci SA on a plan to purchase Budapest Airport Zrt., in a deal that would hand Prime Minister Viktor Orban long-coveted control of the fast-growing hub, according to people familiar with the matter.
The government has lined up financing for the multi-billion dollar acquisition — overcoming a key obstacle to the deal, part of Orban’s bid to boost state control of economic assets, a person directly involved in the talks said. The suitors are targeting an agreement by year-end, the person said, asking not to be identified because negotiations are ongoing.