Rigby Group expands aviation arm with acquisition of Norwich Airport

COVENTRY-based Rigby Group has expanded its aviation arm with the acquisition of Norwich International Airport from Omniport for an undisclosed sum.

Norwich International Airport, the principal aerial gateway to and from East Anglia, serves Norfolk, Suffolk, and East Cambridgeshire. It has a long history and the Rigby Group said it was attracted to the facility by its “sound levels of activity on scheduled and charter passenger activities”.

It also operates an aircraft maintenance base and as an operating hub for the southern North Sea oil and gas industry.

The facility will now be managed by Rigby Group’s airport division Regional & City Airports (RCA), which already owns and operates Coventry and Exeter Airports – which it acquired in 2010 and 2013 respectively.

The company also holds management contracts for both Blackpool International Airport and City of Derry Airport and is actively building its portfolio of owned or managed airport assets across the next five years.

Chairman and Chief Executive Sir Peter Rigby said:  “We have continually reiterated our belief in the importance of regional airports to local and regional communities and their economies. We are intent on developing our aviation business within the Rigby Group, and have made another significant acquisition here.

“I am delighted to welcome Norwich’s staff to a workforce that now safeguards approximately 650 aviation jobs, and look forward to working with them as we plot out a secure, sustainable and positive future for the facility.”

The move will see the management teams at Norwich, Coventry and Exeter work together and the enlarged offering is expected to improve RCA’s chances of securing new business both in the corporate and general aviation sectors.

Andrew Bell, CEO, Norwich International Airport, added: “This is a significant and very positive day for the airport.

“As a highly respected and stable organisation, Rigby Group’s involvement will enable us to build on the many achievements of recent years, safeguarding the future of the business and providing us with a platform from which to build an even more prosperous future for the airport itself and the region.”