Hochtief among three bidders for Gatwick

Airports operator BAA is thought to have received at least three bids for Gatwick Airport by yesterday's deadline for final offers.

The Guardian reported that Global Infrastructure Partners, a joint venture between General Electric and Credit Suisse, which owns London City Airport, has confirmed it has made an offer.

Hochtief, which owns Budapest airport has also confirmed its interest.

The third bidder is understood to be a consortium of Babcock & Brown and Deutsche Bank's RREEF Infrastructure, although the group has not confirmed its interest.

The paper said that the eventual list of bidders for the airport could be even longer. Reports have also suggested that Manchester Airport Group and a fund run by Citigroup and 3i Infrastructure may also be interested.

It is not known how much the airport may be sold for but some experts have put the price tag at £2bn, according to the paper.