Adani Airport Holdings has moved forward to the second round of bidding for the privatisation of Italy’s Catania airport, joining nine other global airport operators and infrastructure investors competing for a majority stake in the facility, according to a Reuters report.
The company is among 10 bidders that successfully cleared the preliminary selection stage, SAC Chief Executive Officer Nico Torrisi confirmed to reporters on Friday. The full list of shortlisted bidders includes Adani Airport Holdings, Vinci Airports, Royal Schiphol Group, Corporacion America Airports, Mundys, Save, 2i Aeroporti, Mag Overseas Investment, Oman Airports Management Company and Macquarie European Infrastructure Fund.
SAC, the operator of Catania airport, launched the sale process in May, seeking to divest at least a 51% stake in the facility. Catania is Sicily’s largest airport and ranks as the fifth busiest in Italy by passenger traffic. The airport operator, currently owned by local authorities and chambers of commerce, also manages the smaller Comiso airport in southern Sicily under a concession running until 2049.
The privatisation process originally began in 2022, when Italian investment bank Mediobanca was appointed as adviser to oversee the transaction. According to Reuters, the deal was estimated last year to be valued between 500 million and 600 million euros.
Adani Airport Holdings’ participation in the bid reflects the group’s continued push to expand its footprint in the global airports sector beyond India. Separately, earlier this month, it was reported that Adani Airport Holdings had sought a waiver from the Airports Authority of India (AAI) concerning a concession agreement clause that restricts entities operating Mumbai airport from holding more than a 10% stake in a scheduled airline. The company reportedly also requested that similar restrictions be excluded from future airport concession agreements.
According to that report, Adani Airport Holdings informed the AAI that the group was evaluating entry into the airline business as a natural extension of its broader aviation ecosystem, which already spans airport operations, pilot training, maintenance, repair and ground handling services. The proposal is reportedly being reviewed by the government alongside other measures aimed at encouraging well-capitalised airline operators to enter the market.