Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Herbert Smith Freehills and Slaughter and May have landed key advisory roles on the £1.5bn sale of London’s Stansted Airport to Manchester Airport Group (MAG).

London’s third busiest airport was put up for sale in August by Heathrow Airport Holdings (HAH), formerly known as BAA, after it was forced by the UK Competition Commission to sell off some of its airport assets.