The French government has sold a 49.99 percent share in state-owned Toulouse Blagnac Airport in a controversial bid to reduce the country's national debt.

The sale of the airport, which is situated in southwestern France and home to one of the principal Airbus assembly plants, came in at a reported 308 million euro. The buyer is a consortium of Chinese companies including Shandong Hi-Speed Group and Friedmann Pacific Asset Management.

The money raised from the sale is earmarked to help the country's national debt, and is part of plans to raise up to 10 billion euros through asset sales around the country.

However, despite the government retaining a controlling interest in the airport, many feel uncomfortable at the sale and think it will lead to a situation where foreign interests gain too much influence over future development and operation of airports and other infrastructure. Some also say such companies are capitalizing upon France's poor economy for their own benefit.

The French finance ministry has come back at these claims. Officials say the sale of Toulouse is in the best interest for the airport and the country's air links, and that the government is merely selling the business and not the physical infrastructure.

It is hoped that through this new Chinese link, Toulouse Airport — which handled around 7.5 million passengers last year — could see new direct links to the Far East. The Chinese companies have claimed they will double the amount of traffic it receives. It would also presumably encourage more business and cooperation with Airbus, which already operates a production line in Tianjin.

Eyes may now turn to other French airports that could be put up for sale by the government following the Toulouse deal. Nice, Lyon and Marseille are the three busiest outside Paris and would make an attractive investment for the right buyer.

For Toulouse, the sale will likely mean a change of focus of the airport's passenger services, which currently focuses on linking to the world through Air France's Paris hubs. Despite the government's claim that Toulouse is not being privatized, the Chinese management will likely bring in new air links to put it in competition with the two Paris airports and the national carrier.

While the political arguments and conspiracy theories rage about this sale, it is worth looking at Toulouse Airport itself, and what the future holds. The French government assures the public that it has ensured the safety of Airbus' facilities as part of the deal — something vitally important for the economy and with wider impact across Europe.

It is well known that the airport has little room to expand, so the interesting aspect will genuinely be what the new owners do with the business it has bought. With new long-haul routes promised and the low-cost market set to grow in France (EasyJet is a big operator at Toulouse), will we see a dynamic change in the way the airport operates, or merely a refining of its existing business model?