International law firm CMS has advised Manchester Airports Group (MAG), alongside corporate advisers E&Y, on its successful sale of Bournemouth Airport to Regional and City Airports (RCA), the airports management division of The Rigby Group plc.

The CMS team advised on the real estate and tax elements of the deal, and involved lawyers from across Manchester and London. CMS Managing Partner for Manchester Mark Haywood and Senior Associate Tanya Francis led on the real estate advice while Tax partner Nick Burt advised on various tax issues.

The sale comes after MAG made the decision to focus increasingly on its core assets at Manchester Airport, London Stansted and East Midlands Airport, and it has recently announced a significant infrastructure investment programme at Manchester and Stansted. RCA will add Bournemouth Airport to a growing portfolio of regional airports which also includes Coventry, Exeter, Blackpool and Norwich. Bournemouth airport currently serves around 700,000 passengers annually.

Mark Haywood comments: “Manchester Airports Group is a longstanding client of the Manchester office and we are delighted to have played a role in this strategically important divestment.”