TIRANA (Albania), January 11 (SeeNews) – An Albanian joint venture, the sole participant in a tender for a concession to run Kukes airport, has been declared the successful bidder with its offer to invest 8 million euro ($9 million), the country’s infrastructure ministry said on Friday.
The joint venture comprising Albanian-registered companies Global Technical Mechanics and Bami will be responsible for the reconstruction, operation and maintenance of Kukes airport, in northeastern Albania, the infrastructure ministry said in a press release e-mailed to SeeNews.
The joint venture will be supported in this project by Dutch-based company NACO Airport Consultancy and Engineering which has experience in airport management and administration, the ministry added.
The proposed term of the concession contract or public-private partnership agreement will be 35 years.
The airport in Kukes will become operational by the autumn of 2019, Albania’s prime minister Edi Rama said in November.The project for the reconstruction of airport envisages the extension of the runway and an upgrade of the terminal building, Rama said, adding that the airport will mainly service flights of low-cost carriers.
Currently, Tirana International Airport Mother Teresa is Albania's only operational airport.
The Albanian government has already started negotiations with a Turkish consortium for the construction of an airport near the southwestern port city of Vlora, an investment estimated at 100 million euro, following the approval of the project by the Albanian parliament in February.
($ = 0.86725 euro)