Consortiums eye 49% stake in Soekarno-Hatta
Consortiums eye 49% stake in Soekarno-Hatta
JAKARTA (JP): Two foreign international airport consortiums
are eying a 49 percent stake in Soekarno-Hatta International
Airport in Jakarta, an official at the Ministry of Transportation
and Communications said on Thursday.
The director general of air communications, Soenaryo
Yosopratomo, said the two were the consortium of Schiphol Airport
of the Netherlands and the British Airport Authority, and the
consortium of Aeroport de Paris and Germany's GTM.
"Negotiations with both consortiums are still in progress," he
said during a meeting with House of Representatives Commission IV
for infrastructure and transportation affairs.
Meanwhile, AP news agency reported that Pantares, which is a
consortium of Frankfurt airport and Amsterdam's Schiphol airport,
is planning to launch a bid for a 49 percent stake in Soekarno-
Hatta.
"More than 100 airports worldwide are poised for
privatization. Pantares is confident it will participate to an
appropriate degree," the news agency quoted both airports as
saying in a joint statement.
Frankfurt airport, continental Europe's busiest, is teaming up
with Schiphol to develop services ranging from retailing to
information technology in the hotly contested global airport
market, the news agency said.
The new alliance involves cooperation in airport management --
including retailing, aviation ground handling and cargo, facility
management and information and communications technology, AP
reported.
By forming an alliance, the two European hubs will save money
on overlapping activities, increase profits and speed up
privatization plans, Schiphol airport spokesman Ruud Wever said
in Amsterdam.
Preparations for the alliance will start in the new year when
the airports begin jointly developing software and products, he
said.
The "first alliance between two important international
airports" expands on a year-old cooperation accord between
Schiphol, Europe's fourth-largest airport, and its longtime rival
in Frankfurt that was aimed at boosting their global market
share, a joint statement said.
Wever said cooperation between airports was a logical
progression in the industry as airlines increasingly build global
alliances to cut costs and maintain market share. (jsk/tnt)