Eiffage plans to bid to operate the Lille airport in northern France in a privatisation process to be launched in the second half of this year, Chief Executive Benoit de Ruffray said on Thursday.
Rival French construction and concessions company Vinci has won concession contracts to operate airports in Europe, Asia and Latin America and has made airports one its key businesses.
De Ruffray said his company had also bid to upgrade and operate a motorway in central France that would require a 600 million euro ($701.34 million) investment.
Eiffage on Wednesday reported a half-year profit that beat analyst forecasts buoyed by new infrastructure contracts in the Paris region and a rise in revenue from its motorway business.
Source: Nasdaq
NOTE: Lille Airport belongs to a Joint Association, the SMALIM (Joint Association of Lille and Merville Airports), a legal entity under public law. This Joint Association is made up as follows: Nord – Pas de Calais Regional Council (60%), Lille Metropolitan Urban Community (34%) and Flanders Lys Community of Communes (6%).
Lille Airport has been managed and operated by SOGAREL (the Lille Regional Airport Management Company) under a 10-year Public Service Contract.
SOGAREL is a private group whose shareholders are the CCI Hauts de France (61%), Transdev (34%) and SANEF (5%).