Driven by pure spite for the fact they’ve put various charges up again across the airport (and as a local resident, it just means more cars hanging around in places they shouldn’t, to try dodge the drop-off fees), I wanted to dig a bit more into who owns the airport.
Companies House demonstrates it’s a slightly opaque structure, with layers of various opcos, bidcos and topcos presumably to limit tax liability or make restructures easier, who knows:
Company structure / hierarchy - interactive version here
You’ll see, at the very top of the chain, is company Vinci SA.
Well the case brought by Sherpa against Vinci Construction Grands Projets (VCGP) has been going on for quite some time. Initially lodged in 2015, this concerned violations regarding the use of forced labour, among other inexcusable travesties:
The violation of the fundamental rights of migrant workers building facilities for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar – the richest country in the world – have been denounced in numerous reports by different organisations. The French group VINCI … has won contracts worth several millions of euros in connection with the event and employs thousands of workers onsite both directly and via numerous subcontractors incorporated in Qatar.
… passports are confiscated by the company and workers are threatened if they claim their right to better working and living conditions or if they want to resign or change employer. They are also compelled to accept undignified working conditions that bear no relation to the remuneration they receive.
Naturally, Vinci tried to sue Sherpa for defamation via a mechanism commonly referred to as SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation) and appealed against a subsequent indictment, but in May 2025 it was determined that the indictment against the organisation would go ahead.3 A trial date has yet to be set.
Of note, one of Vinci’s biggest shareholders was the Qatari state, who acquired a 5.7% holding in the company by December 2010:
… 2010 saw Qatari Diar Real Estate Investment Company (Qatari Diar) become a VINCI shareholder as part of the Cegelec transaction. VINCI allotted Qatari Diar 31.5 million shares, comprising 21 million new shares and 10.5 million treasury shares, in payment for 100% of Cegelec’s share
capital. At 31 December 2010, with a 5.7% holding in VINCI’s share capital, Qatari Diar was our second largest shareholder …
And as of June 2024, the Qataris stepped down from the board of Vinci.5 One wonders whether it had anything to do with the impending court case. But what does any of this have to do with Edinburgh Airport?
Well, maybe nothing. Or maybe it’s a reminder of the kind of company that sits atop the ownership pyramid. A company accused of abusing workers’ rights abroad; a company that, while still under legal scrutiny, continues to rake in profits from infrastructure the public depends on.
And that brings us back to the tarmac at Turnhouse.
People as revenue streams (don’t forget the greenwash!)
Under Vinci’s ownership, charges at Edinburgh Airport have steadily crept upwards. Want to drop someone off at the terminal? That’ll cost you £6 for ten minutes.6 Stay a minute too long, and the fee rockets. Need a baggage trolley for your bags? £2 per trolley. Card only, no refunds.
To deliver the new fleet, and ensure the trolleys are available to those who really need them, we have introduced a small charge similar to those you see at many other UK airports. … Welcome to the future of airport mobility, where every trolley is more than a tool - it’s part of a superior travel experience!
None of this is about emissions, convenience, or “experience.” It’s about treating a captive audience as a revenue stream. Edinburgh Airport isn’t a public service: it’s a money pump, run for shareholders, not travellers.
This is nowhere near the same level of harm as the allegations Vinci faces elsewhere: forced labour and human rights abuses are in a completely different league. But the instinct is the same: extract what you can, answer to nobody, and rely on people being too busy or ground down to fight it.
