The British Airports Authority (BAA) is looking to make a substantial investment in a secondary airport on the mainland - but only if the deal gives it control of the facility, according to the executive in charge of overseas expansion.
BAA International managing director Andrew Jurenko said the group was revisiting a potential mainland expansion after a decade on the sidelines while it pursued acquisitions in Europe, the United States and Australia.
'We are having another look at China right now to see if there is anything there for us. If there is, the likelihood is it will be in secondary airports,' Mr Jurenko said. 'Obviously, it is a strong growth opportunity. We are interested in growing the international segment of our business, but not at any cost.'
The construction of civil airports was expected to require more than 140 billon yuan over the next five years, General Administration of Civil Aviation of China (CAAC) vice-minister Gao Hongfeng told a Hong Kong delegation this month.
Mr Gao said 42 airports would be built, aside from 'expansion and relocation projects' for 28 medium-sized airports on the mainland.
BAA would only be interested in investing in airports with an established business exceeding five million passengers a year and projects in which it could call the shots, Mr Jurenko said.