"Slovakia preparing ground for sale of stake in two of its largest airports"

Thursday, January 13, 2005

Slovakia preparing ground for sale of stake in two of its largest airports
The Associated Press


BRATISLAVA, Slovakia - The Slovakian government is preparing the ground to
sell a stake in two of its largest airports, a ministry official said
Thursday.

Right now, Slovak officials are evaluating seven candidates for the job of
an adviser for the sale, said Tomas Sarluska, the spokesman for the
Transportation Ministry. The process should end in early February, he added.

The Slovak government wants to sell a so-far undetermined stake in two of
the country's largest airports _ one in the capital and one in the eastern
Slovak city of Kosice.

The Bratislava airport will likely be more attractive for investors, mainly
for its location and closeness to Vienna's airport, which is just 60
kilometers (37 miles) away.

The Bratislava airport is Slovakia's largest international airport. It
transported almost 900,000 passengers in 2004, up from 480,000 in 2003,
according to its Web page.

Sarluska said it was not yet clear what stake the state will sell in these
airports, nor whether they would be sold together or individually. The
government aims to end the sale by the end of the year.

A key issue when deciding on the future owner will be the purchaser's
ability to concentrate on passenger transport and expansion of capacity,
Sarluska added.


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