Chinese consortium interested in purchasing Athens airport

In a press conference, FPAM CEO Eric Cheng said that the consortium has been considering its participation in a privatisation of Athens airport for the last three years, holding several meetings with the government to indicate its interest in participating in a relevant tender.

He clarified that FPAM is interested in acquiring a majority share in the airport for the longest period possible, which he said would allow it to make the significant investments demanded. FPAM plans to attact the growing number of passengers visiting Europe from Asia, he added, while its aims are to increase passenger traffic through AIA from 12 million at present to 50 million through significant investments and with the addition of new activities.

Asked about a letter from the Hellenic Republic Asset Development Fund (HRADF) querying the consortium's announcement of interest when the government had not announced that the airport is for sale, Cheng said that his contacts with the government in the last three years indicated an interest on the Greek side.

"We do not consider that it is too soon to express interest," he said, adding that the troika's programme shows that the airport must be privatised very soon.

He said the consortium had made its choice after considering various alternatives in Europe and had a "clear vision" for converting the airport into an international transport hub with multiple and interdependent activities, adding new high-value activities and jobs for the Greek economy:

"We believe that we can add value to the enterprise, we are not here to simply manage AIA better. We are here to create a bridge via air between Greece and China, the largest, fastest-growing and soon richest economy in the world."