Fraport

The last obstacle blocking the implementation of the concession of 14 regional airports to Fraport Greece has been removed after the state finally signed on Monday the agreement with the consortium for the National First Aid Center (EKAB) to provide first-aid services at the terminals.

The European Commission has approved the transfer of 14 Greek airports to a German-led consortium and says it's now up to Greece to finalize the deal, a key element of the country's bailout program.

The Commission says the 1.23-billion-euro agreement can go ahead as it did not involve state aid, was transparent and in line with market conditions.

The 14 regional airports to be conceded to Fraport Greece will be ready for delivery around Easter, according to sources close to the process. The precise date cannot yet be determined as a number of technical and other issues remain pending both with the Greek state and the European Union, the same sources said.

Fraport Greece, majority owned by Germany's Fraport, said on Monday it has raised 620 million euros in a share offering bringing it closer to a deal to manage 14 regional Greek airports.

German transportation company Fraport AG is a possible bidder for the concession of Belgrade's international airport named after Nikola Tesla.

Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic said on Tuesday that he spoke with Minister-President of the German state of Hesse Volker Bouffier, who is visiting Belgrade, about this possibility, Tanjug has reported.

German transportation company Fraport AG is a possible bidder for the concession of Belgrade's international airport named after Nikola Tesla.

The issue of first-aid services is threatening to further delay the delivery date of 14 regional airports to contractor Fraport Greece, currently set for mid-March.

Fraport Greece has reached an agreement with four international credit institutions and a local bank for the financing of the privatization project by the German-led consortium concerning 14 regional airports around Greece, according to banking sources.

Fraport Twin Star Airport Management AD won the award of the German-Bulgarian Chamber of Industry and Commerce for large enterprise for 2016.

The company-concessionaire of the airports in Varna and Burgas invested EUR 6.1 M in movable assets and IT equipment in the two airports in 2016.

The company hired 31% more seasonal employees, compared to the summer of 2015.

"In Romania and Serbia a new German investment is made every week," said the head of the German-Greek Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Michalis Maillis, deploring the unwelcoming conditions for investments in Greece.