Orrick Advises VINCI Airports on Its Acquisition of a Stake in Mexican Airport Group OMA

Orrick advised VINCI Airports on its acquisition of Fintech’s 29.99% stake in OMA ("Grupo Aeroportuario del Centro Norte"), concessionaire of 13 airports in Mexico for a total amount of US$1.17 billion (including pre-existing debt), thereby becoming the largest shareholder in this Mexican airport operator.

This transaction allows VINCI Airports to add 13 airports to its portfolio – located in Northern and Central Mexico including Monterrey International airport, serving Mexico’s industrial capital, and the fifth-largest airport in the country and accounts for nearly half of OMA’s passenger numbers. Added to this are Chihuahua International and Ciudad Juárez International airports at the heart of Mexico’s mining industry, Culiacán International and Mazatlán International airports, as well as eight regional and tourism airports on the Pacific Coast and in Central Mexico: Acapulco, San Luis Potosí, Torreón, Zihuatanejo, Durango, Zacatecas, Tampico and Reynosa.

Concluded for a period of 25 years, the concession will enable VINCI Airports to deploy its long-term partner model to support economic and tourism growth in this high-potential country.

The financial closing of this acquisition is expected by the end of this year.

In the context of this transaction, an international team advised VINCI Airports in France and in the United States comprised of the following Orrick attorneys:

• Yves Lepage, partner responsible for the matter, Foucaud Jaulin, partner, and Carole Schertzinger, associate (Energy & Infrastructure, Paris office);
• David Schwartz, partner, Samantha Caluori, senior associate, and Sky Stallbaumer, associate, on the corporate M&A aspects (New York office);
• Alice Hsu, partner (New York office), Camila Rodriguez, managing associate (London office) and Jongmin Char, associate (New York office) advised on securities law issues.