Vienna Airport says Australia's IFM fund plans to buy 30% stake

[Vienna] Vienna Airport said on Monday that IFM Global Infrastructure Fund planned to buy a non-controlling minority stake of between 20 per cent and 29.9 per cent of the share capital, boosting the airport's shares by around 16 per cent.

Australia-based IFM GIF has offered 80 euros (US$101.23) per share for the stake, a 29.7 per cent premium over Friday's closing price, Vienna Airport said in a statement.

Trading in shares were temporarily suspended on the Vienna bourse. They shot up around 16 per cent when trading resumed, and were at 71.110 euros per share at 0822 GMT.

IFM GIF, owned by about 30 Australian pension funds, is the country's largest infrastructure investor. It has several small Australian airports and in 2013 bought a 35.5 per cent stake in the UK's Manchester Airports Group.

IFM GIF had 10 billion euros invested across a range of infrastructure assets as of June.

Vienna Airport was not immediately available to comment. A press conference with IFM is due to take place at 0900 GMT.

Investors in the IFM fund are mainly institutional pension funds investing on behalf of clients in Australia, the United Kingdom, continental Europe, the United States and Canada, Vienna Airport said. REUTERS