More regional airports for concession
State privatization fund TAIPED is in the process of seeking consultants to assess “the available and commercially feasible transaction structures” for the 23 regional airports in Greece that are not to be conceded to the Fraport-led consortium. The process constitutes one of Greece’s contractual obligations toward its creditors in the context of the updated bailout agreement.
By September TAIPED will have to weigh the utilization options for those 23 regional airports, as well as 10 regional ports of international interest, and decide which and in what way they can be utilized before it transfers them to the new hyperfund entity, the Public Holding Company (EDIS).
Although such a move will be particularly significant on a political level, it is mainly the considerable revenues the airports can rapidly fetch that matter most, making their utilization one of the likely priorities of the new fund. “TAIPED is practically taking the first step toward the concession of the assets that may attract investment interest, and the restructuring of those that require some work in advance,” a source familiar with the process has told Kathimerini.
The 23 regional airports which the tender for the hiring of consultants concerns are those of Alexandroupoli, Araxos, Astypalaia, Chios, Icaria, Ioannina, Kalamata, Kalymnos, Karpathos, Kasos, Kastelorizo, Kastoria, Kozani, Kythira, Leros, Limnos, Milos, Nea Anchialos, Naxos, Paros, Sitia, Skyros and Syros.
The above airports are currently operated by the Civil Aviation Authority and they are those out of the total of 37 regional airports that have not been conceded to the Fraport-Slentel consortium according to the contract recently ratified by Parliament.
The deadline for the submission of proposals by candidate consultants regarding the 23 airports is June 24. A tender will then be proclaimed for the same process regarding the 10 ports, including Igoumenitsa, Iraklio, Lavrio, Kavala, Patra, Rafina and Volos.
