ASUR acquires 20 airports from Brazilian company

Brazilian infrastructure and transport company Motiva announced that it had sold the 20 airports it manages, including those in Ecuador, Costa Rica, and Curaçao, to Mexican group ASUR for 5 billion reais (approximately US$939.4 million).

The deal includes all of Motiva's shares in Compañía de Participación en Concesiones (CPC), “a group that encompasses all of the company's holdings in its airport assets in Brazil and abroad,” according to the statement sent by the Brazilian company to the market.

The airports included in the deal are Mariscal Sucre (Quito), Juan Santamaría (San José, Costa Rica), and Willemstad (Curaçao), as well as some of Brazil's major capitals, such as Belo Horizonte (both international and domestic), Curitiba, Goiânia, Palmas, Teresina, and São Luís.

The 17 Brazilian airports and the three abroad received 45 million passengers last year, according to the company's latest balance sheet, which is also responsible for terminals in cities with high tourist traffic in Brazil such as Foz do Iguaçu, Navegantes, and Joinville.

According to the market announcement, the direct buyer is Cancun Airport, one of the subsidiaries of Mexico's Grupo Aeroportuario del Sureste (ASUR).

Motiva clarified that the deal is conditional on the approval of the regulatory bodies of all the countries involved in the operation and on “certain adjustments that will be made until the transaction is closed.”

The sale is “aligned” with Motiva's Strategic Plan, which seeks to generate value, simplify its portfolio, and achieve profitable and selective growth in the road and rail transport management segments in Brazil.