France selects winning bids for Nice, Lyon airports sale

PARIS (Reuters) - France has chosen the winning bidders for the sale of 60 percent stakes in the French airports of Nice Cote d'Azur and Lyon-Saint-Expury and expects proceeds of almost 1.8 billion euros (£1.5 billion), the economy ministry said on Thursday. France is selling the stakes as part of a broader programme of privatisations in recent years to raise cash to help meet budget deficit targets. Italy's Atlantia in cooperation with EDF was chosen for Nice airport, while a consortium of Vinci , state bank Caisse des Depots et Consignations and Credit Agricole's insurance arm Predica was picked for Lyon. The government expects proceeds of 1.22 billion euros for Nice and 535 million for Lyon. The economy ministry hopes to complete the privatisations in the autumn, following consultation with labour representatives and antitrust authorities. The privatisation of France's two biggest regional airports had been expected to yield up to 1.6 billion euros for the government. The sale process had been delayed by the attack in Nice that killed 84 people on July 14. (Reporting by Gilles Guillaume; Writing by Victoria Bryan; Editing by Andrew Callus)