![]() ![]() The baggage track is 29 yards long – at Beijing it's more like 80 miles, Collier points out. At 2pm on a weekday afternoon London City arrivals feels more like a library than an international airport. Anyone who's used London City will know it's a world away from Heathrow's out-dated, over-crowded halls. There's certainly a positive story to tell. A sale or the introduction of new investors will be elements of what we look at." Collier claims the Olympics will put London City in the shop window – it sounds like that's exactly where the owners would like it to be. "My brief was to come in and help the business realise its potential. ![]() There's no reason to believe they wouldn't be willing to put equity in," he says. GIP, which also owns major stakes in Gatwick and Edinburgh, has form in syndicating out its holdings and Collier won't discount a similar move at London City. Reports suggest that will involve new investors coming in and current infrastructure fund owners GIP and Highstar Capital diluting their holdings. What we've got to do is put in place an investment and infrastructure plan that will facilitate that." "We see the potential for strong organic growth. Passenger numbers were up 7pc in 2011, back over the 3m mark, and by 5.5pc so far this year," he says. "Like any airport around the globe, we saw a fairly precipitative decline in passenger numbers in 2008/9, but have seen that recover. Armed with a mandate from London City's owners, he plans to expand the 130-acre site's runway area and invest in new stands as part of a drive to reach 7m passengers annually by 2016. ![]() Now Collier wants to step that growth up a gear. ![]()
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