The French company VINCI airports have been shortlisted for the second and final bidding stage of Hobart Airport stake. The VINCI has submitted the bid to Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets in July 2019 and became one of the shortlisted bidders for the Hobart International Airport. 

The airport is located in Cambridge, Tasmania in Australia. It can accommodate up to 2.4 million passengers annually. The airport, which is Australia's southern-most airport, has experienced 6 percent year-on-year growth over the 2013-2017 period, with 2.6 million people making their way through the terminal in 2017. The airport is being managed by Tasmanian Gateway Consortium under a 99-year lease.

VINCI has contacted investment bank Rothschild to support its acquisition bid, which includes carrying out due diligence and resolving issues such as potential regulatory impediments. The other bidders include QIC, UniSuper and a joint bid by industry funds CBUS and HESTA. The 50.01% stake under sale is owned by Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets managed an investment fund and is valued up to AUD 500 million (US$ 338 million). Tasmanian investment fund Tasplan holds the remaining 49.9% stake in the airport.

Macquarie has hired Credit Suisse to manage the auction for the stake. The timeline for submitting binding and unconditional bids is late September 2019.