Aena begins contacts to double its network in Brazil with the concession of 19 regional airports
Aena’s aspirations to grow in Brazil seem to remain intact after consolidating a network of 17 airports grouped into two concession packages. In recent months, the activity of the Spanish airport manager has gained weight in this market after showing its interest in the concessions of 20 aerodromes in Brazil, Ecuador and Costa Rica to which the Brazilian group Motiva (formerly CCR) put up the ‘for sale’ sign at the beginning of the year. Now, the group controlled 51% by the State -through Enaire- returns to the scene by being a candidate in the auction of 19 regional airports orchestrated by the Ministry of Ports and Airports of the Brazilian Government.
According to the minutes released by the Executive of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, last Friday the ‘roadshow’ concluded with the concessionaires interested in the tender, where he plans to mobilize 1,250 million Brazilian reals (just over 200 million euros at the exchange rate). Among the groups that have participated in the conversations, in addition to Aena, are Zurich Airports, PAX Aeroports, Aeroportos Brasil, Viracopos (ABV), Vinci Airports, Fraport Brasil, GRU Airports and Motiva itself. It will not be until Thursday, November 27 when the scope of each group’s interest in the auction will be defined.
This process is part of the AmpliAR program with which the Brazilian Government seeks to attract private investments and improve the management of a hundred regional airports in the next five years, through private investments of 5,000 million reais (810 million euros) according to their estimates. The program allows concessionaires to assume the management of loss-making airports through contractual readjustment, which includes the reduction of concession rates or the extension of concession terms. In this first phase, the following regional airports located in the Amazon region and the northeast of the country have been put out to tender: Tarauacá; Barcelos; Itacoatiara; Parintins; Itaituba; Cocoal; Vilhena; Araguaína; Porto Alegre do Norte; Barreirinhas; Guanambi; Lençóis; Paulo Afonso; São Raimundo Nonato; Araripine; Garanhuns; Serra Talhada Jericoacoara and Canoa Quebrada.
Aena’s involvement in this bid coincides with its interest in the large airport portfolio that is at stake in the Brazilian market, since 17 of the 20 assets that Motiva offers are located in Brazil. Although sources from the Spanish group clarify that “they analyze many of the opportunities to know the market situation without guaranteeing in any case reaching the end of the processes”, the company has advanced to the proposal phase together with the Mexican Asur, America Corporation (Inframérica headquarters in Brazil) and the Pacific Airport Group (GAP) -where it maintains a minority position-.
The latest updates surrounding this sale, however, place Asur as the main bidder to acquire this portfolio after valuing the assets at around 5,000 million reais (810 million euros), according to Reuters. In this scenario, the general director of Motiva Miguel Setas commented in a recent conference with analysts that The company hopes to announce the buyer before the end of the year. On the table are the international airports of Belo Horizonte, Goiânia, Uruguaina and Pelotas; and the regional ones of Bacacheri, Bagé, Alfonso Pena, Foz do Iguaçu, Joinville, Londrina, Navegantes, Pampulha, Imperatiz, Petrolina, Teresina and Palmas. Added to these are the internationals from Curacao, Quito (Ecuador) and Juan Santamaría (Costa Rica). It is a network with a capacity of 41 million passengers and more than 200 destinations.
If Aena were to win any of these tenders, the group chaired by Maurici Lucena would double its already consolidated portfolio in Brazil, where it manages 17 airports that between January and August served almost 30 million passengers, approximately one tenth of the 258 million travelers who transited in the same period through the 64 airports it operates in Spain, Brazil and the United Kingdom.
