Fraport-Copelouzos Consortium Signs Contracts for Managing 14 Greek Airports (1)

FRANKFURT, Germany, December 14, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --

Transfer of Airports Expected in Autumn of 2016 - Regional Airports Vital for Strengthening and Expanding Greek Tourism Industry 

Fraport AG Frankfurt Airport Services Worldwide and its Greek partner Copelouzos Group today signed contracts with the Hellenic Republic Asset Development Fund (HRADF) for the 40-year concessions to operate, manage, develop and maintain 14 regional airports in Greece.  The transaction closing is expected during the autumn of 2016, at which time full payment of the EUR1.234 billion upfront concession fee will be made by the Fraport consortium in tandem with the takeover of operations at the 14 airports.  As part of the international tender process for the regional airport concessions launched in 2013, HRADF selected the Fraport consortium as preferred bidder in November 2014.  

Combined, the 14 Greek regional airports served about 22 million passengers in 2014 and are expected to exceed the 23 million passenger mark in 2015.  In particular, international passengers account for about 77 percent of the total traffic at these gateways.  The mainland airports include Aktio (PVK), Kavala (KVA) and Thessaloniki (SKG), Greece's second largest city.  The other eleven airports are located on the Greek islands of Corfu/Kerkyra (CFU), Crete/Chania (CHQ), Kefalonia (EFL), Kos (KGS), Mitilini (MJT), Mykonos (JMK), Rhodes (RHO), Samos (KGS), Santorini (JTR), Skiathos (JSI) and Zakynthos (ZTH).  

Fraport will have a clear majority share in the concession companies, while Copelouzos will hold the remaining stake.  Actual ownership of the airports will still be retained by the Greek government throughout the concession term.  Along with the upfront concession payment, an annual fixed concession fee of initially EUR22.9 million will be paid.  In addition, the Fraport-Copelouzos consortium is required to invest a total of EUR330 million in airport infrastructure until 2020, followed by maintenance and traffic-driven capacity investments during subsequent years of the project.

Fraport AG's executive board chairman Dr. Stefan Schulte stated:  "Since being selected as preferred bidder more than a year ago, Fraport and Copelouzos have remained steadfastly committed to the Greek regional airports - a win-win project for Greece and its people.  The project underscores the extensive know-how that Fraport will be able to provide at these 14 aviation gateways, which are vital for Greece's economy and, in particular, its huge international tourism sector.  We are proud that the Greek government and the Hellenic Republic Asset Development Fund (HRADF) have entrusted Fraport-Copelouzos with the task of strengthening the competitive position of these airports in the decades to come. We would like to thank both the HRADF and Greek government for their professional cooperation in reaching this milestone agreement."

The founder and chairman of Copelouzos Group, Dimitris Copelouzos, said:  "The project for the 14 Greek regional airports is one of the largest and most beneficial investments based on national and social criteria. Undoubtedly, this investment is a basis for boosting the Greek economy, especially during this critical period for the country. The benefits at the national and regional level are multiple and the cooperation of the two companies is a guarantee for successfully supporting tourism as the heavy industry of Greece, reinforcing competitiveness of the economy and creating new jobs."  

Print-quality photos of Fraport AG and Frankfurt Airport are available for free downloading via the photo library [http://www.fraport.com/content/fraport/en/press-center/media... ] located in our Press Center [http://www.fraport.com/en/press-center.html ] on the Fraport Web site [http://www.fraport.com/en.html ]. For TV news and information broadcasting purposes only, we also offer free footage material [http://fraport.cms-gomex.com/?lang=en ] for downloading.

Fraport AG [http://www.fraport.com/en/press-center.html ] - which ranks among the world's leading companies in the global airport business - offers a full range of integrated airport management services and boasts subsidiaries and investments on four continents. In 2014, the Fraport Group generated sales of EUR2.4 billion and profit of about EUR252 million. Last year more than 108.5 million passengers used airports around the world in which Fraport has more than a 50 percent stake.

At its Frankfurt Airport (FRA) home base [http://www.frankfurt-airport.com/content/frankfurt_airport/e... ], Fraport welcomed about 60 million passengers and handled some 2.2 million metric tons of cargo (airfreight and airmail) in 2014. For the current winter timetable, FRA is served by 88 passenger airlines flying to 247 destinations in 100 countries worldwide. More than half of FRA's destinations are intercontinental (beyond Europe) - underscoring Frankfurt's role as a leading hub in the global air transportation system. In Europe, Frankfurt Airport ranks first in terms of cargo tonnage and is the third-busiest for passenger traffic.  With about 55 percent of all passengers using Frankfurt as a connecting hub, FRA also has the highest transfer rate among the major European hubs.

Frankfurt Airport City [http://www.frankfurt-airport.com/content/frankfurt_airport/e... ] has become Germany's largest job complex at a single location, employing more than 80,000 people at some 500 companies and organizations on site.  Major new real estate developments - such as The Squaire, the Gateway Gardens business park, and the Mönchhof Logistics Park - are creating an exciting new dimension and range of services at the evolving Frankfurt Airport City of the 21st century.

Almost half of Germany's population lives within a 200-kilometer radius of the FRA intermodal travel hub - the largest airport catchment area in Europe. FRA Airport City also serves as a magnet for other companies located throughout the economically vital Frankfurt/Rhine-Main-Neckar region. Thanks to synergies associated with the region's dynamic industries, networked expertise, and outstanding intermodal transportation infrastructure, FRA's world route network enables Hesse's and Germany's export-oriented businesses to flourish in global growth markets.  Frankfurt Airport meets the increasing needs of the export-oriented economies of the State of Hesse as well as Germany as a whole, for optimal connections to growth markets around the globe. Likewise, FRA is a strategic gateway for companies wanting to access the huge European marketplace.  Thus, Frankfurt Airport - which is strategically located in the heart of Europe - is one of the most important hubs in the global logistics chain.   

About Copelouzos Group  

Copelouzos Group plays a leading role in the Greek market and comprises various companies, which are active in the most important business sectors in Greece and internationally. The Group's core business areas are electricity production and trading, including renewable energy (wind and solar parks, hydroelectric plants), infrastructure projects and concessions, real estate, advertising, exhibition and congress centers, and construction and project management for large-scale projects.  

Copelouzos Group has joint ventures with global groups such as Fraport, the Russian Gazprom, the Italian ENEL, the Bulgarian Electricity Company NEK EAD, the Russian VTB Capital, and the French JCDecaux, etc.  

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