Mexico – Oct 31/18 – President-elect Obrador Kills New Mexico City Airport Project on Heels of Rushed Referendum
Incoming President Andrés Manuel López Obrador has vowed to kill the $13.3b new Mexico City airport development, based on the results of a hastily-organized referendum in which 70% of ballots were cast in opposition of the mega project. Referendum skeptics point to the paltry turn-out in which just over 1 million votes were cast, representing less than 2% of Mexico’s poll-weary registered voters.
Thailand – Oct 30/18 – Board of Investment Sweetens the Pot for U-Tapao T3 Bidders
U-Tapao Airport’s proposed Terminal 3 project, one of six major development initiative being advanced under the Eastern Economic Corridor program, has recently received investment incentive scheme approval from the country’s Board of Investment, in an effort to stimulate bidder interest in the opportunity. Incentives will include import duty exemptions on machinery and corporate income tax relief for a period of eight years.
Russia – Oct 29/18 – Qatar Airways Front-runner to Snap Up Minority Stake in Vnukovo Airport Concession
A concession deal between Moscow and Doha for a minority stake in Vnukovo Airport is anticipated within the first quarter 2019. A 25% share in Vnukovo is reportedly up for grabs, with Qatar Airways being the front-runner amongst vying foreign investors. Moscow’s third busiest airport by passenger volume, Vnukovo handled 18m passengers in 2017.
Turkey – Oct 28/18 – President Inaugurates Opening of Istanbul’s Ambitious New “Mega Hub” Airport
President Erdogan presided over the opening of the first phase of Istanbul’s new “mega-hub” airport which will eventually include six runways with the capacity to handle 90m passengers/year. At the inauguration ceremony, Erdogan stated that the existing Ataturk Airport will remain operational, however all commercial flights will be relocated to new Istanbul Airport.
Slovakia – Oct 26/18 – Bratislava Airport Eyed for Concession by Slovakian Government
The Slovakian Ministry of Transport is currently in the throes of finalizing its strategy for the concession of Bratislava Ivanka Airport. The strategy aims to facilitate growth of passenger traffic in tandem with an increase in airport capacity and service levels. Currently dominated by LCC service, the airport has enjoyed healthy double-digit passenger growth in recent years.
Bulgaria – Oct 24/18 – Plovdiv Concession Process Nixed in Wake of HNA Retreat
The Bulgarian Cabinet has terminated the tender process for concession of Plovdiv Airport, citing recent amendment of it’s enabling legislation to align with 2014 EU rules as the reason for the abrupt course reversal. The tender, originally launched in March 2016, was awarded to HNA Group however the Chinese conglomerate ended up walking away from the deal in step with its wholesale divestment of recently-acquired assets triggered by a staggering debt burden.
Indonesia – Oct 16/18 – APII Seeks Private Sector Partners for Medan Kualanamu Airport
State-owned Angkasa Pura II (APII) is said to be actively seeking potential partners with proven airport operations experience, traffic development credentials and ample funding capacity to jointly manage and develop Medan Kualanamu Int’l Airport. The public-private partnership is intended to encompass airside and landside infrastructure including airside and terminal facilities.
United States – Oct 08/18 – Governor Cuomo Continues Drive to Modernize NY-area Airport System
Marking the next stage in Governor Cuomo’s drive to modernize the New York area’s beleaguered airport system, the Governor recently rolled out a $13b plan for modernization of JFK Int’l Airport including $12b in private investor participation. The ambitious program will deliver two new international terminals with centralized ground transportation facilities.
Croatia – Oct 05/18 – Zagreb Airport Set to Expand Capacity on Strength of Double-digit Traffic Growth
The private operator of Zagreb Airport, led by AdP, has launched its plan to further expand capacity. The new EUR300m terminal, opened in March 2017, has a design capacity of 5m passengers/year, however the facility’s special systems are only rated for 3.5m passengers/year. Current year traffic is expected to grow by 10%, reaching 3.4m passengers.
India – Oct 03/18 – GMR Selected to Operate and Develop Nagpur Airport
GMR has been selected to develop, operate and manage Nagpur airport. The RFP process, launched in March 2018, will establish a 30-year P3 concession. Nagpur handled 2.2m passengers and 7,800 metric tonnes of cargo last year – passenger traffic grew at an annual compound rate of 11% over the past five years and ranks 17th nationally in cargo volumes.