AviAlliance transforming airports into attractive centres of economy

AviAlliance Managing Directors Holger Linkweiler and Gerhard Schroeder talk to Marta Dimitrova about recent developments in the company’s diverse airports portfolio.

With global traveller numbers reaching new heights – exceeding four billion for the first time in 2017 – airports are undoubtedly catalysts for growth.

Established as one of the world’s leading airport investors and managers, AviAlliance recognises this potential and has built an attractive and balanced portfolio, currently holding shares in the airports of Athens, Budapest, Düsseldorf, Hamburg and San Juan.

“Our five airports have developed well in the first eight months of 2018,” says Gerhard Schroeder, Managing Director, AviAlliance. “The number of passengers using Athens, Budapest, Düsseldorf, Hamburg and San Juan airports between January and September this year was 67.6 million – an increase of 1.8% compared to the previous year. This is particularly impressive, especially against the background of the insolvency of Air Berlin and the severe hurricane that hit Puerto Rico.”

AviAlliance’s expertise is deployed in each new project, making airports around the world into attractive state-of-the-art centres of transportation and focal points of the economy.

“Airports which have not yet tapped their potential to the full, and thus offer substantial scope for development, are our main target,” adds Holger Linkweiler, Managing Director, AviAlliance. “We are focused on airports which we can support with our broad knowledge and thus add value.

The economic crisis in Greece triggered a significant decline in the country’s GDP. However, Athens International Airport proved resilient by achieving a substantial passenger growth of more than 70% between 2013 and 2017. The airport handled a record 21.7 million passengers in 2017 and is experiencing dynamic growth in 2018. Overall, during the period January through October 2018, passenger traffic reached 21 million, achieving double-digit growth (+11.1%), with both domestic and international traffic exceeding the corresponding 2017 volumes by 5% and 14.2% respectively.

In September 2018, Budapest Airport unveiled its brand-new €25 million passenger terminal Pier B. The 10,000sqm building is used to handle non-Schengen flights, including widebody aircraft flying intercontinental long-haul routes to North America, China and the Persian Gulf. The new facility was very much needed, as Budapest Airport has seen double-digit growth, often reaching 14-15% growth in passenger numbers in each of the last four years, with an even greater increase in non-Schengen traffic. This summer, 44 airlines offered direct flights from Budapest to 130 destinations, with a record-breaking 1.5 million passengers travelling through the airport in August.

Non-aviation business has become a key element in Düsseldorf’s development in recent years, accounting for around 45% of the airport’s total revenues. The centrepiece of this is the Airport City. The modern business park offers attractive conditions for successful business. Directly adjoining the airport’s terminal, the Airport City is now home to companies such as Verein Deutscher Ingenieure (VDI) and Porsche. The development of the 230,000sqm business park continues and a second extension phase is under consideration.

Hamburg Airport enjoyed a successful 2017 with annual passenger numbers up 8.6% to 17.6 million. With passenger numbers growing, a total investment of around €500 million will be made at the airport over the next years. Hamburg was the winner of this year’s ACI EUROPE Best Airport Award in the ‘10-25 million passengers category’, recognised for its innovative additional services to increase the passenger experience and its commitment to the environment.

In 2017, AviAlliance became shareholder in Aerostar Airport Holdings, which operates the airport of San Juan in Puerto Rico. Earlier this year, Aerostar Airport Holdings completed an investment of $6 million (€5.11m) in new facilities for the Federal Inspection Service (FIS) to be used by Customs and Border Protection in Terminal A. The new facility features 14 automated passport control units and inspection areas, and has a maximum capacity of 400 passengers per hour.


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