The long-awaited break-up of the UK’s biggest airport group began on Wednesday after BAA reached an agreement to sell Gatwick to the owners of London City Airport for £1.5bn. The sale to Global Infrastructure Partners, which was approved late on Tuesday night by the Competition Commission, ends a tortuous process that started a year ago when BAA, a subsidiary of Spain’s Ferrovial infrastructure group, put Gatwick up for sale in an attempt to head off competition concerns about its market dominance. Join discussion...

Nearly $180 billion (Dh661bn) in private capital is available for investment in airports worldwide even as the economic crisis continues to impact airport privatisation, according to the latest report by the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (Capa). The report stated that Carlyle Group, Morgan Stanley and Credit Suisse Group concluded in a joint report that $180bn in private capital is still available for investment in airports, highways and other transportation infrastructure. Join discussion...

Global Infrastructure Partners, the owner of London City airport, made a 1.3 billion-pound ($2 billion) to 1.4 billion-pound bid for Gatwick airport that was rejected by BAA Ltd., said two people familiar with the matter. The fully financed offer was turned down May 17 on the grounds that it was too low, said the people, who declined to be identified because the details aren’t public. BAA, which also operates London’s Heathrow and Stansted airports, was seeking at least 1.5 billion pounds, one of the people said. Join discussion...

Credit Suisse (NYSE:CS) added Norman Mineta, a former cabinet secretary to two US presidents, as a senior adviser to help the bank counsel clients looking to buy or sell toll roads, airports, utilities and other public works. Join discussion...