Fraport begins Ljubljana Airport takeover talks

Fraport likely to take over Ljubljana Airport

Germany’s Fraport is to begin takeover talks for a 75.5% stake in Ljubljana Jože Pučnik Airport after the Slovenian government overturned an earlier decision to freeze the privatisation of state-owned companies. The state investment firm Slovenian Sovereign Holding (SDH), which is in charge of selling state assets, said yesterday it would start exclusive talks over Ljubljana Airport with Fraport, which is a multi billion euro management and transport company. Talks with the German conglomerate will continue “for a limited time”, according to SDH, which added that Fraport was the highest bidder. The sale of Slovenia’s busiest airport is now expected to be completed this autumn.

The only other interested party which publicly revealed its intention to bid for a majority share in Ljubljana Airport was France’s Vinci, which was willing to invest fifty euros per share, or a total of 96.7 million euros. Fraport’s offer is believed to have eclipsed this figure. Several companies are reported to have pulled out of the bidding process after the Slovenian government temporarily halted all privatisations in the country last month in the lead-up to snap parliamentary elections. Besides Fraport and Vinci, Friedmann Pacific Investment Holdings from Hong Kong and Italy’s SAVE are also believed to have placed bids. Initially, twenty companies expressed interest in participating in the privatisation process.

Fraport, officially known as Frankfurt Airport Services Worldwide, manages Europe’s third busiest airport - Frankfurt. In addition, the company also runs several major airports across the world including Cairo, Delhi, Hanover, Pulkovo Airport in Saint Petersburg and Jeddah in Saudi Arabia. In addition, Fraport also runs the main international airports in Varna and Burgas in Bulgaria, Lima in Peru, Xi’an in China, Antalya in Turkey and the new airport in Dakar in Senegal, which is currently under construction. The company boasts some 20.000 employees and in 2013 generated revenue of 2.6 billion euros. Fraport will have to address the issue of building a new passenger terminal at Ljubljana Airport. Late last year, the airport’s minority shareholders, mostly made up of banks, rejected plans for the construction of a new terminal, which was pitched by the state.

Foreign ownership and airport concession contracts are becoming common in the former Yugoslavia. Zagreb Airport is managed by a consortium led by France’s Aéroports de Paris while Pristina Airport is run by the Franco-Turkish consortium headed by Istanbul-based Limak Holding. Macedonia’s Skopje and Ohrid airports are managed by Turkey’s TAV Holdings while Belgrade Airport will also be put up for concession in the foreseeable future.

Comments

  1. Anonymous10:17

    Not happy! Why are they selling the airport anyway?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous11:46

      LJU is in need of an upgrade and a new terminal is necessary. The government can no longer fund this

      Delete
    2. Anonymous11:47

      No, they are selling the airport because a German company wants to add another one to its portfolio. That's how it works in the EU.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous14:36

      They need an upgrade? Why? Is the airport that busy? Don't think so.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous15:41

      Airprot needs a little refurbishment, not a new terminal

      Delete
  2. Anonymous10:54

    Last two days Boeing 747 from Saudain Arabia in Zagreb

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous13:19

      Saudi prince is visiting Zagreb. I Guess that's private plane.

      Delete
    2. Purger18:04

      Yes...

      Delete
  3. Anonymous11:48

    Fraport is a huge company so its nice that at least one airport from ex-Yu will be under their management.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Nikola11:49

    Why didn't the government offer Maribor and Portoroz with Ljubljana ? Like they did in Macedonia with Ohrid ? Wouldn't it have made more sense?

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous11:57

    Nothing make sense in FJRSL.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anonymous12:32

    Government cannot offer Maribor airport because government does not own it.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Anonymous13:08

    This is a disgrace! This is just Germany and LH grasping more control over Slovenian aviation and Adria! This should absolutely not go ahead.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Anonymous13:22

    Would be great if China Southern took over.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Anonymous15:19

    Its a good move,even if adria would become"only" a feeder airline for germany/lh so bee it. People have a job,salary and thats good enough for most of us.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Since the discussion is on airport takeover, does any one know if the Skopje/Ohrid TAV deal with the Macedonia government is somewhere available in full? please show url if this deal exists online.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Anonymous16:33

    OT: Air France closed its office in Belgrade today

    http://www.aviokarta.net/vesti/2620-air-france-iznenada-zatvorio-beogradsko-predstavnistvo/

    ReplyDelete
  12. Anonymous17:12

    Unlike to Zagreb, Air France flies to Sofia.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Purger18:03

    As I said I will use Air Serbia just if price would be much lower than competition. This time Air Serbia price is 110 EUR per person (we are 2 travelers and that is 220 EUR) lower than TAROM but:

    - TAROM has real meal and drink in plane (compare to uneatable sandwich and just water in Air Serbia)
    - TAROM flight is 737, Air Serbia ATR
    - VIE is much better and comfortable airport than BEG
    - The best pub in world with superb food is in Vienna + Starbucks + several other stop-points which I cannot do in Belgrade (IKEA, Vienna Sahnetorte, Zobern...)
    - Only + for Belgrade is my best men, but I meet him almost every week so I don’t have to go there just because of it

    So, I take tickets for TAROM from VIE, 220 EUR more expensive.

    And to prevent stupid conversation, yes Zagreb and Croatia Airlines ware not even option to choose from.

    Zagreb-Bucharest
    odlazak utorak 12.8.
    povratak četvrtak 14.8.
    Karta kupljena 6 dana prije puta

    iz ZAG:
    Croatia 533 EUR
    Austrian 607 EUR
    Lufthansa 624 EUR
    Turkish 488 EUR

    iz VIE:
    Austrian 318 EUR
    Tarom 286 EUR - KUPLJENO

    iz BEG
    Air Serbi 179 EUR
    Tarom 214 EUR
    * za 100 EUR razlike po putniku, ili 200 za oba putnika radije putujem Taromom iz VIE

    ostalo
    Tarom 248 EUR iz BUD
    Wizzair 189 EUR iz TSF - za te novce ne putujem Wizzairom ni u ludilu

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous18:55

      Best pub in the world is in Vienna? What is the name of that one?

      Delete
    2. Anonymous20:47

      Prgeru ja te ništa ne razumem dal' si poš'o, dal' si doš'o veze nemam

      Delete
    3. Purger23:42

      Australian pub near Opera. Australian or British ale, perfect steaks, one of the best chicken wings, even very good meal of crocodile and kangaroo, sweats, ambient, friendly staff...

      Došo sam sa Kariba, a u utorak idem za Bucharest. Napisao sam primjer kako rezonira putik koji potencijalno može birati Air Serbiju. Da je razlika po putniku 150 EUR išao bi preko BEG, ovako ću za 100-njak EUR razlike izabrati VIE.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous00:23

      Ima se, trosi se.

      Delete
    5. Purger13:49

      Ni Karibi ni Bucharest nisu bili privatno, nego radi posla.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous15:13

      Purger, why didn't you consider LJU-BEG-OTP?

      PS: How did you fly to the Carribean btw?

      Delete
  14. Anonymous18:39

    Today Air Serbia DBV-BEG 86 pax on A319, and that is just 69% in top season.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous19:29

      can you tell me the load for TLV flight tomorrow

      Delete
  15. Anonymous19:23

    it s time that JU starts BEG-ZAG, unbelievable this Kindergarten that JU and OU still don t fly this route. Damn governments hindering people of convenient air travel

    ReplyDelete
  16. Anonymous20:07

    nice report on airliners about ASL
    http://www.airliners.net/aviation-forums/trip_reports/read.main/255999/

    ReplyDelete

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