TAV Group eyes third airport construction bid

ISTANBUL - Hürriyet

TAV Group CEO Sani Şener says Istanbul’s third airport project is Turkey’s largest project to date, and that TAV is interested in its construction.

TAV Group Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Sani Şener said TAV was interested in Istanbul’s third airport depending on the tender conditions.

“This year we are building the İzmir and Medina airports. We have started building the Abu Dhabi airport. Now we are preparing for the third Istanbul airport tender,” said Şener. TAV won the build-operate-transfer tender for the Medina Airport this year and has taken over the management of İzmir’s domestic terminal. It has also won the bid for Abu Dhabi Airport’s terminal with its partner CCC-Arabtec.

Şener said Istanbul’s third airport tender was one of Turkey’s largest projects to date.

“The company that wins the tender should have access to powerful financing and know-how. Istanbul is very important to our portfolio. The number of incoming tourists is rising; the economy is developing. If we think of Istanbul as a financial hub, its importance is even more key. Our partnership with French Aeroports de Paris also adds to TAV brand value,” added Şener.

According to Şener the third airport can be completed in three years, and TAV wants to win the tender. He added that no matter what, the airport construction should go to a company that knows the business.

“This is not a terminal operation, it is an airport operation. We are talking about a $10 billion project. Strong financing is necessary. One needs to be picky,” noted Şener.

Şener said five to six firms with which it competes regularly would place bids in the upcoming third airport tender. He explained that the airport would be constructed on a plot of land with coal mines and would therefore be difficult to construct.

Şener added that TAV had a contract for Istanbul’s Atatürk Airport until 2021 and that the Transportation Ministry had assured TAV that its rights would be protected and that Atatürk Airport was not likelty to become a boutique airport. “If it is going to be a project that competes with Atatürk Airport, then it wouldn’t be a $10 billion project,” he said.