Ancala increases stake to 94.2% at Liverpool John Lennon Airport.

Ancala has moved to full control of Liverpool John Lennon Airport after buying an additional 47.1% stake from The Peel Group, raising its holding to 94.2%. Liverpool City Council continues as a minority partner with a 5.8% interest. Financial terms were not disclosed.

The deal completes an ownership transition that began when Ancala first invested in the airport in 2019 through a joint venture with Peel and the council. The transaction represents an exit for The Peel Group, which had guided the airport’s long-term redevelopment since it first acquired a majority stake in the late 1990s.

The airport’s performance under the joint ownership has been notable. Revenues grew by around 47% since the financial year ending 31 March 2019, reaching £53.9m in the year to 31 March 2025. Passenger traffic hit approximately 5.2m for that period, a 21% year-on-year rise, and the airport recorded a record month of over 616,000 passengers in August 2025. Management credits route growth, new airline capacity and a rising number of based aircraft—now at a record 18—for the momentum.

Operational improvements have accompanied traffic recovery. A targeted customer experience programme included a £9m redesign of retail, food & beverage and lounge areas, installation of faster security scanners and a sensory-friendly passenger space. The airport has also been recognised for punctuality and was voted Best UK Airport by consumer group Which? in 2023 and 2024.

Environmental initiatives form part of the airport’s medium-term plan. A new on-site solar installation is due to finish this year and is expected to supply up to 25% of the site’s annual electricity needs, supporting the airport’s 2040 decarbonisation roadmap and cutting scope 1 and 2 emissions. Such measures align with institutional investor appetite for greener, revenue-resilient infrastructure assets across Europe.

Stakeholders framed the transaction as continuity rather than disruption. John Irving, the airport’s chief executive, thanked Peel for its long-term role and said Ancala’s larger holding sustains the strategic plan to expand airline partnerships. Tim Power, a partner at Ancala, described the move as a reaffirmation of confidence in the airport’s prospects and said the increased stake allowed Ancala to offer further co-investment to its institutional backers.

For the regional economy, the change consolidates local ownership links and institutional backing at a time when UK regional airports are competing to capture leisure and near‑Europe demand after the post‑pandemic recovery. The deal leaves Liverpool City Council as a continuing partner and positions the airport to pursue route and sustainability investment as it targets further growth through the 2030s.