Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund GIC and Japan-based conglomerate Mitsubishi are engaged in discussions with GMR Infrastructure to acquire a minority stake in GMR Airports.
GMR Airports operates as a subsidiary of GMR Infrastructure, and manages airports in the Indian cities of Delhi and Hyderabad, as well as Cebu in the Philippines.
GMR Airports secured rights to build a new airport in Goa in 2017 and secured the privatisation contract for the Nagpur airport in October last year. It also secured a contract to develop and operate an airport in Crete, Greece, in 2017.
GMR Infrastructure is planning to raise between Rs40bn ($562m) and Rs50bn ($702.48m) through the divestiture of the stake, which will be used to repay part of its Rs200bn ($2.8bn) net debt.
A spokesman for GMR Infrastructure was quoted by The Economic Times as saying: “a number of investors have shown interest [in airports holding company]” and that the company continues “to engage with them constructively.”
GMR Infrastructure recently revealed its plans to demerge the airports holding company in which it currently owns 91.95% stake.
How well do you really know your competitors?
Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.
Thank you!
Your download email will arrive shortly
Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample
We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form
By GlobalDataThe spokesperson added: “Taking into account the feedback from various stakeholders, the board has appointed a committee to evaluate the merits of a demerger, which we will be doing in consultation with advisors in the coming months.”
GMR Airports reported a profit before tax of Rs3.65bn ($51.28m) for the October-December quarter of 2018, compared to a profit of Rs3.94bn ($55.36m) a year ago.
GMR earlier tried to sell its airport company, including through an IPO. The company has discussed with a number of companies, including the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) to offload a stake in Hyderabad airport.