PRAGUE (AFX) - Several international companies are mulling bids for Prague airport, for up to 2.3 bln eur, the Czech weekly Tyden reports in its edition to appear Monday.
According to Tyden, the privatisation of the Prague-Ruzyne airport has attracted the interest of German airport operators Fraport AG and Hochtief unit Hochtief Airport, as well as Australia's Macquarie Bank, Czech investment group PPF and Slovakian investors Penta and JT.
'It is an interesting opportunity for us,' Hochtief Airport spokeswoman Donatella Gasser told the magazine. 'Prague airport has great potential.'
Wolfgang Schwalm of Fraport would only say that his firm was seeking a transaction in Europe.
The state-owned Letiste Praha (Prague airport) is due to be turned into a shareholder company this year with a view to its privatisation, planned during the next two years, after a government decision last year.
The airport has been expanding in recent years and handled a record 11.5 mln passengers in 2006.
Its new terminal Nord-2 was inaugurated in January 2006 and should raise theoretical capacity to 20 mln passengers a year, with that figure reached in 2020.
But a new runway would have to be built to add to the two that exist if the target is to be reached. Problems over land purchases have stalled the plans for the moment.
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