Watson Farley & Williams (WFW) advised a syndicate of French and international banks led by Societe Generale on the arrangement of an approximate €190 million financing as part of the takeover of the Paris-Beauvais Airport concession by Bellova.
Bellova is owned by a consortium of sponsors comprising Egis, Serena Industrial Partners, Bouygues Construction, Aeroports de la Cote d'Azur and TIIC.
The company signed the concession contract with the Syndicat Mixte de l'Aeroport Beauvais-Tille (SMBAT), as well as the financing documentation with the banks for the airport's modernisation and extension.
The project comprises a 22-month design phase and a 38-month construction phase, with progressive commissioning of the new infrastructure. The airport will remain in operation during the modernisation works, which have been awarded Bellova to a consortium of designer-builders led by Bouygues Batiment Grand Ouest.
Bellova aims to achieve airport carbon accreditation (ACA) level 3+ by 2028 and level 4+ by 2032.
The multidisciplinary WFW Paris team that advised the lenders on the concession and financing was led by partners Laurence Martinez-Bellet on the finance and bankability elements, and Arnaud Troizier on regulatory, public law and project contract matters. Both were assisted by associates Julie Michelangeli, Chloé Moriceau, Sophie Rivallain and Simon Allain on the finance aspects of the deal.