BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 25
By Nargiz Sadikhova - Trend:
TAV Airports together with its local stakeholders will work towards strengthening Kazakhstan’s Almaty as a major business, tourism and cargo hub, Serkan Kaptan, Deputy CEO of TAV Airports told Trend.
On May 8, 2020 Turkey’s TAV Airports signed a share purchase agreement to buy Kazakhstan’s Almaty International Airport.
The negotiations were announced in Nov. 2019 as the consortium formed by Turkish TAV Airports (of which Groupe ADP owns 46.1 percent of the capital) and VPE Capital operating in Kazakhstan and Russia, started discussions with the owner of Kazakhstan’s Almaty International Airport regarding the airport’s potential acquisition.
Kaptan said that TAV Airports hopes to close the agreement and takeover the operations in Almaty Airport in the 3Q2020.
“Almaty is one of the most important economic and cultural hubs in the region and we’re excited to realize its full potential,” he said.
Talking TAV Airports plans for Almaty Airport modernization, Kaptan said that following the takeover of operations, the company will invest $150 to $200 million to build a new terminal, relatedfacilities and to upgrade the existing infrastructure of the airport.
“Consequently, the capacity of the airport will double to 14 million passengers. Furthermore, benefiting from our extensive experience and network, we plan implement global standards to increase service quality and passenger satisfaction at the airport. Together with our local stakeholders, we’ll work towards strengthening Almaty as a major business, tourism and cargo hub,” he said.
TAV Airports provides integrated services in all areas of airport operations, with a global footprint at 100 airports in 30 countries.
A member of French Groupe ADP, TAV Airports is part of the leading airport management platform globally that served 218 million passengers in 2019.
Through its subsidiaries, TAV is active in airport service businesses, including duty-free, food and beverage, ground handling, IT, private security and commercial area management.
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