Turkey’s Limak in talks to join consortium for Lyon airport: Sources

The French airports of Nice and Lyon have attracted at least 16 bidders ahead of a July 4 deadline for firm offers, sources have said.

The privatization of France’s two biggest regional airports is expected to yield up to 1.5 billion euros ($1.66 billion) for the government, which already sold out of Toulouse-Blagnac airport in 2014.

Limak, Cube and France’s state shareholdings agency, which is leading the sale, declined to comment.

Limak, which is also interested in Nice airport, is seeking to participate in the privatization process by finding a local partner, one of the sources said.

With the state of emergency still in place in France after the November Paris attacks, Nice mayor Christian Estrosi recently told local daily Nice-Matin he opposed the candidacy of a Turkish company.

Eight companies or consortia are so far interested in bidding for Nice airport, sources have said.