March 21 (SeeNews) - Bulgaria's caretaker transport minister Hristo Aleksiev proposed on Tuesday to cancel the tender for awarding a 35-year concession contract for the operation of Sofia International Airport, local media reported.
The tendering procedure in its current form doesn't ensure sufficient protection of public interest, public radio broadcaster BNR quoted Aleksiev as saying at a news conference.
According to Aleksiev, the weight of the one-off concession fee (55%) in the evaluation of the offers is too high, while the investment programme and the plans for the airport's development have been seriously neglected, business news outlet dnevnik.bg reported.
The conditions of the concession procedure will lead to an increase in airport charges and to a decrease of passenger traffic, Aleksiev added. He also said that Bulgaria needs to hire an international consultant to advise what model of operation of the airport will best suit the country's interests, BNR reported.
The final decision for a possible termination of the concession tender rests with the government.
Bulgaria will hold early parliamentary elections on March 26 following the resignation of the minority coalition government led by prime minister Boyko Borissov in November
In June, the transport ministry said it launched a tender for a Sofia Airport concession contract, seeking at least 550 million levs ($313.6 million/281.4 million euro) as a one-off upfront concession payment.
The deadline for submitting bids in the tender was extended four times. The latest deadline will expire on May 31.