Leeds Bradford Airport: New Spanish owners revealed in 'exciting' £270m deal
A world-leading airport operator owned by the Spanish government is to take a majority stake in Leeds Bradford Airport as part of a £270m deal, it has been announced.
Aena is taking a 51 per cent shareholding in a newly-formed holding company which will own all of Leeds Bradford Airport and 49 per cent of Newcastle International Airport.
The remaining 49 per cent in the new holding company will be held by LBA’s current owners, infrastructure manager InfraBridge.
The two firms already have joint ownership of Luton Airport.
Aena, which also has 46 airports in Spain and 17 in Brazil as well as other locations in Mexico and Jamaica, has signed a contract to buy the stake in the new holding company for £270m. The deal is expected to be completed in the second half of next year.
LBA and Newcastle International will continue to be operated and managed independently of each other.
InfraBridge purchased LBA in 2017 under its previous name of AMP Capital for a reported £220m.
Vincent Hodder, chief executive at Leeds Bradford Airport, said: “This agreement is a positive development for Leeds Bradford Airport, for our employees and customers and for Yorkshire.
"We are excited about the future as we welcome Aena as our new majority shareholder. Aena is the world’s largest airport operator by passenger numbers and brings deep operational expertise, and a strong track record of investing in and developing high quality airport infrastructure around the world.”
Justin Symonds, managing director and head of airports at InfraBridge said: “This agreement reflects the strong performance and long-term potential of Leeds Bradford Airport as a critical gateway for the communities it serves, and we are excited about its future growth prospects.
"Aena is a trusted partner with deep operational expertise, and we are very pleased to be strengthening our relationship as the airport transitions into its next chapter.
"We look forward to collaborating on the continued development of Leeds Bradford Airport for the benefit of passengers, airlines and the wider region.”
The chairman and CEO of Aena, Maurici Lucena, described the deal as "an important step in Aena's commitment to markets with great potential such as the United Kingdom, where we already have a long experience with 51 per cent of Luton airport, in London”.
"In addition, with this operation, we strengthen the alliance with InfraBridge as a long-term strategic partner in the United Kingdom and put at the service of the territory served by Leeds Bradford Airport our experience in airport management of all categories,” he said.
LBA served almost 4.3 million passengers in its last financial year to March 2025.
In its most recent financial results for the 12 months to March 31, 2024, LBA saw turnover increase by 23 per cent to £54m, with EBITDA before exceptional items rising 43 per cent to £16.6m.
The airport is in the process of carrying out a £100m terminal investment project which is due to be completed next year.
The airport was used by 4.24 million passengers in 2024, up by 5.8 per cent on 2023.
The number of flights from LBA increased by 6.2 per cent, with an average 87 per day via the airport.
Alicante remained LBA’s most popular destination in 2024, with over 50,000 more passengers flying to the Costa Blanca resort than in 2023.
Dublin and Palma De Mallorca also made up the top three destinations for passenger numbers in 2024 from LBA.