Manchester airport is favourite to buy East Midlands and Bournemouth airports from National Express for £220m-£230m.
Others believed to be on the shortlist are TBI, Copenhagen airport and the infrastructure division of Macquarie.
Meanwhile, First Group is still considering final bids for its 51% stake in Bristol International. Bristol City Council is thought to have decided to offload its 49% stake in the airport.
Financial Times 13/12/00 page 27
