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June 15, 2004
Dutch airport operator Schiphol is among the parties that have made non-binding offers for a 70 percent stake in Belgium's state-controlled Brussels Zaventem Airport, Schiphol said on Tuesday.
But a Schiphol spokeswoman declined to comment on a report that the operator had offered to pay EUR400 million to EUR500 million (USD$484 million - USD$605 million) for the stake in hopes of keeping aggressive competitors away from its backyard.
"We will not say anything about the content of our offer," spokeswoman Marianne de Bie said.
Schiphol, which is controlled by the Dutch state, is seen facing stiff competition for Zaventem from rivals such as Paris's Charles de Gaulle, and Frankfurt Airport operator Fraport, Dutch daily Volkskrant said without citing sources.
Financial investors such as Australia's Macquarie and Britain's 3i have also shown interest, it said.
Monday was a deadline for non-binding offers for Zaventem operator BIAC, de Bie said. Schiphol expects the Belgian company to ask for binding bids around September or October.
BIAC declined to comment but Chief Executive Luc Van den Bossche said earlier this month he hoped to wrap up privatization by the end of this year.
BIAC is 63.6 percent-owned by the Belgium government. The remaining shareholders hope to sell their stakes, while the Belgian state wants to retain 30 percent.
Zaventem Airport is home to SN Brussels Airlines and British entrepreneur Richard Branson's Virgin Express no-frills carrier. It competes with neighboring Charleroi, used mainly by Europe's biggest budget carrier Ryanair.
State-controlled Schiphol operates Europe's fourth-largest airport in Amsterdam that serves as one of the two hubs of the world's largest airline by revenue, Air France-KLM.
It operates three other airports in the Netherlands, Terminal 4 at John F Kennedy Airport, New York and Brisbane Airport in Australia.
(Reuters)
Dutch airport operator Schiphol is among the parties that have made non-binding offers for a 70 percent stake in Belgium's state-controlled Brussels Zaventem Airport, Schiphol said on Tuesday.
But a Schiphol spokeswoman declined to comment on a report that the operator had offered to pay EUR400 million to EUR500 million (USD$484 million - USD$605 million) for the stake in hopes of keeping aggressive competitors away from its backyard.
"We will not say anything about the content of our offer," spokeswoman Marianne de Bie said.
Schiphol, which is controlled by the Dutch state, is seen facing stiff competition for Zaventem from rivals such as Paris's Charles de Gaulle, and Frankfurt Airport operator Fraport, Dutch daily Volkskrant said without citing sources.
Financial investors such as Australia's Macquarie and Britain's 3i have also shown interest, it said.
Monday was a deadline for non-binding offers for Zaventem operator BIAC, de Bie said. Schiphol expects the Belgian company to ask for binding bids around September or October.
BIAC declined to comment but Chief Executive Luc Van den Bossche said earlier this month he hoped to wrap up privatization by the end of this year.
BIAC is 63.6 percent-owned by the Belgium government. The remaining shareholders hope to sell their stakes, while the Belgian state wants to retain 30 percent.
Zaventem Airport is home to SN Brussels Airlines and British entrepreneur Richard Branson's Virgin Express no-frills carrier. It competes with neighboring Charleroi, used mainly by Europe's biggest budget carrier Ryanair.
State-controlled Schiphol operates Europe's fourth-largest airport in Amsterdam that serves as one of the two hubs of the world's largest airline by revenue, Air France-KLM.
It operates three other airports in the Netherlands, Terminal 4 at John F Kennedy Airport, New York and Brisbane Airport in Australia.
(Reuters)