Slovenia offers PPP for struggling Maribor Airport
The Slovenian Ministry for Infrastructure has invited interested parties to submit an expression of interest in the execution of a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) for the long-term operation of Maribor Edvard Rusjan Airport. Last year, a fifteen-year concession of the airport, awarded to Chinese investors, was terminated after they failed to meet obligations set out in their contract with the state, with each side blaming the other. Since then, the airport has been run by the state-owned DRI consulting and engineering company. Maribor has no scheduled commercial flights and has slipped behind Ljubljana and Portorož as the country’s third busiest international airport.
The Ministry noted, “The long-term operation of the airport is planned within the framework of a Public-Private Partnership, encompassing the development of infrastructure and an accompanying commercial program. A national spatial plan is being drafted for Maribor Airport. It will provide the basis for its modernisation in line with contemporary commercial passenger and cargo transport, as well as the overhaul of airport and non-airport infrastructure in accordance with national transport and security requirements under international (ICAO) and European (EASA) standards”. The airport’s former Chinese operator accused the state of failing to adopt a new spatial plan, preventing it from launching a planned 660-million-euro redevelopment project.
The Slovenian Minister for Infrastructure, Alenka Bratušek, previously said, “The long-term options for Maribor Airport involve either finding a new operator or selling the airport. I believe the first option is more likely. I do wonder how such a bad partner had been chosen to run the airport in the first place". Parties interested in the PPP have until March 16 to submit their non-binding expressions of interest. “The final form of the Public-Private Partnership, the scope and content of the project, and the obligations of the partners shall be defined in a tender call to select the private partner”, the Ministry concluded.
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