Team size: Three

What are the most significant cases, projects and/or transactions that you and/or your legal team have recently been involved in?

Successfully pursuing airport infrastructure acquisition opportunities in mature markets: the acquisition of a stake in the airports of Leeds and Newcastle, United Kingdom (2025, approx. €309m).

Aena’s acquisition of stakes in Leeds Bradford Airport and Newcastle Airport marks a strategic leap in its 2022–2026 international expansion plan. Valued at approximately €309 million, the transaction strengthens Aena’s position in the UK airport sector, complementing its investment in London Luton Airport. Through a joint venture with InfraBridge, Aena will hold 51% of a new holding company owning these two freehold, unregulated assets, expanding its footprint in one of the world’s most sophisticated aviation markets.

The legal team, advised by external legal advisors in Spain and the UK, led a highly complex process involving cross‑border due diligence, bespoke legal and tax structuring, sensitive negotiations, and extensive regulatory approvals in Spain and the UK. A key challenge was designing an efficient acquisition framework while balancing governance rights. Internally, the project has been transformational, elevating Aena’s M&A capabilities and reinforcing a strategic long‑term partnership.

Merger by absorption by Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico (GAP) of five Mexican entities, including its strategic shareholder Aeropuertos Mexicanos del Pacífico (AMP), in which Aena Internacional holds a significant stake.

This merger represents a multi‑layered cross‑border restructuring in the Latin American airport sector. It consolidates key businesses within GAP — including technical assistance services and the Cross Border Xpress (CBX) terminal with San Diego — creating a more integrated, efficient, and strategically aligned group listed in both Mexico and the United States.

Aena Internacional’s legal team played a decisive role from the outset, leading feasibility assessments, coordinating multidisciplinary due diligence, and ensuring compliance with Mexican, U.S., and Spanish regulatory frameworks. With the support of its external legal advisors in the different countries, the team crafted tailored legal structures, managed sensitive governance negotiations, and supported all required approvals. The project sets a benchmark for cross‑border M&A execution and enhances the department’s reputation as a leader in sophisticated international transactions.

How does your team contribute to the overall business strategy of the company? Can you share an example of a recent legal‑led initiative that had a significant impact?

The legal function I lead at Aena Internacional goes far beyond traditional legal oversight: the legal team is integrated into the company’s strategic decision‑making from the outset. Our work focuses on anticipating regulatory, geopolitical and operational risks while enabling sustainable growth across highly regulated jurisdictions.

A recent example is our leadership in the transactions with key airport assets in the United Kingdom and Mexico. The legal department designed and executed the full transactional strategy: structuring the deals, coordinating cross‑border due diligence, navigating competition and foreign investment approvals, and ensuring alignment with aviation, infrastructure and public‑law requirements. We are also developing post‑closing governance frameworks (the closing of both transactions will take place in 2026) that balance shareholder rights, long‑term investment commitments and local regulatory expectations.

Across all these projects, the legal department acts not only as a risk mitigator but as a strategic enabler: identifying viable paths in politically sensitive environments, managing multi‑jurisdictional stakeholder interests, and ensuring that each decision reinforces the company’s international expansion strategy. This combination of legal rigor, commercial perspective and cultural fluency is, I believe, the hallmark of the General Counsel role today and the reason our team has had a decisive impact on Aena’s global growth trajectory.