"Private Mexican airport groups plan US$107mn investment for 2005"

Tuesday, January 18, 2005

Private airport groups plan US$107mn investment for 2005
BNamericas.com


Mexico's private airport sector plans to invest some 1.2bn pesos (US$107mn)
in 2005, nearly 15% above 2004 investment levels, daily newspaper Reforma
reported.

"Our investments in 2005 will focus on operative issues such as
rehabilitating runways and streets, increasing platforms and most
importantly, increasing capacity at Chihuahua airport," the paper quoted
Ruben Lopez, director general of Grupo Aeroportuario del Centro Norte (GACN)
as saying. 

GACN also plans to spend about 12% of its total investment on security
systems, including fire alarm and sprinkler systems and equipment for
passenger security checks, he added. 

GACN is managed by the OMA consortium (Operadora Mexicana de Aeropuertos),
made up of Mexico's ICA (NYSE: ICA) and France's Paris and Vinci airports.
The concessionaire operates the Monterrey, Acapulco, Mazatlan, Zihuatanejo,
Culiacan, Chihuahua, Durango, San Luis Potosi, Tampico, Torreon, Zacatecas,
Ciudad Juarez and Reynosa airports. 

At the same time, Grupo Aeroportuario del Sureste (Asur) plans to continue
building the second runway at its busiest airport, Cancun, increasing
capacity 50%. The group also expects to invest in security systems, Asur
(NYSE: ASR) controller Fernando Chico Pardo was quoted as saying. 

Asur, the first privatized airport group in Mexico and controlled by
Inversiones y Tecnicas Aeroportuarias (ITA), operates airports in Cancun,
Merida, Cozumel, Villahermosa, Oaxaca, Veracruz, Huatulco, Tapachula and
Minatitlan. 

Passenger traffic in Mexican airports is expected to grow 6-7% this year,
compared to 10% in 2004.


 Do you have an opinion about this story?
Share it with other readers in our CAA Discussion Forums

http://www.californiaaviation.org/dcfp/dcboard.php


*****************************************