Blackpool Airport operator RCAM snapped up
THE operator of Blackpool Airport, Regional and City Airport Management (RCAM), has changed hands.
The new owner is Midlands-based Patriot Aerospace Group, which on Monday bought a 60% stake in Exeter Airport.
The Coventry-based group led by Sir Peter Rigby acquired the controlling interest in Exeter from Balfour Beatty has concluded a fresh deal with the construction firm to buy RCAM for an undisclosed fee.
RCAM, which alos operates the City of Derry Airport in Northern Irelands is led by John Spooner, a former managing director of Manchester Airport. The business accommodates up to 3m passengers a year and supports a range of cargo, freight, corporate and general aviation services.
The deal sees RCAM take over the management of Patriot Aerospace’s airport assets, which comprise Exeter and Coventry Airports and Cardiff Heliport.
The airport operations sit alongside the group’s flying activities – now trading as British International Helicopters following its acquisition of BIH in May. BIH is now the largest British helicopter operating business with specialist divisions covering offshore and defence, utility, engineering, charter and flight training.
Sir Peter said: “The Rigby Group has invested in RCAM as we believe regional airports have a significant role to play in the future of the British aerospace sector and there is definite potential for growth in terms of both freight and passenger capacity.
“With major hub airports currently working to near or over capacity and questions of how to meet the demand being debated as part of the Davies Commission, we see a clear opportunity for regional airports to ease the strain, partly through effective management and operation.”
John Spooner said the RCAM business was based on the belief that regional airports are local transport facilities, operated locally for the benefit of local communities.
“Regional airports are vitally important to the economic development of regions, not just in the UK but also overseas. Obviously smaller airports do not have the benefits of scale enjoyed by the larger hub airports: to survive and prosper, smaller regional airports need to cooperate and collaborate and this is exactly what RCAM can do – bring regional airports together to enable them to operate safely, sensitively and increasingly efficiently.”
