Possible partner for Manchester’s Gatwick bid

MANCHESTER Airports Group (MAG) has approached Virgin Atlantic to enter a £2bn joint bid for Gatwick Airports, according to reports.

The airport is expected to be fiercly fought over when airports operator BAA is broken up and it’s expected that other contenders could join the consortium.

MAG, which is also said to be interested in both Glasgow and Edinburgh airports, was one of the first to announce its interest in Gatwick.

More than 34 million passengers are handled by the London airport each year. Its new owner, or owners, could be expected to pay as much as £2bn for the airport if an auction is sanctioned.

Earlier this year the Competition Commission ruled that BAA might have to sell three of its seven UK airports including two in London.