NEWS
Big plans for Philippine gateways
The Philippine government has extended the bidding deadlines for Mactan-Cebu International Airport ’ s new terminal to April 5 after claiming to be “ overwhelmed ” by more than 1,000 queries for it and two other private public partnership projects .
The deadline for investors submitting pre-qualification documents in Mactan-Cebu ’ s $ 240 million terminal project had initially been set at March 22 as the government looked to push through the deal this year .
“ Ensuring that the government receives the most advantageous deals with long-term stability is our priority ,” the Department of Transportation and Communications ( DOTC ) said in a statement . In addition to a new 3.5mppa capacity international terminal at Mactan-Cebu , the government wants the successful bidder to invest a further $ 185 million on expanding the domestic terminal to 41,000sqm .
Vinci Airports is widely tipped to be one of the potential bidders for Mactan-Cebu in the PPP project , which is being facilitated by the government-owned Public-Private Partnership Center .
Executive director of the Public-Private Partnership Center , Cosette Canilao , told Airport World : “ We need to update existing terminals and build news ones and new airports to meet future demand , and believe that PPP projects are the best way to develop them .”
Stansted to sparkle !
The new owners of London Stansted claim that they plan to put the ‘ sparkle ’ back into the airport .
New managing director , Andrew Harrison , appointed in March following Manchester Airports Group ’ s ( MAG ) € 1.75 billion purchase of the London gateway from Heathrow Airport Holdings , said MAG ’ s challenge was to allow Stansted to fulfill its “ great potential ”.
Harrison told Airport World : “ It has great raw material , a Lord Foster-designed terminal , the best terminal facilities in the UK , and it is the fastest and most efficient terminal in the UK .
“ The main thing we ’ ll be looking to do is add a bit of sparkle to the experience . It has great design but the experience is a bit transactional . What comes across is that everyone who works here is really proud to work in this airport , so now we have an opportunity to unleash that enthusiasm .”
News in brief
Winds of change
North America will lose two key aviation figures this June – ACI-North America president , Gregory Principato ( pictured above ) and Las Vegas-McCarran ’ s airport director , Randall Walker .
Principato , who succeeded David Plavin in the ACI-NA hotseat in July 2005 , said that he believed the time was right to “ seek new challenges and opportunities ”.
He added : “ I am incredibly proud of the ACI-NA team and what we have accomplished in redefining ACI-NA and its position as the ‘ voice of airports ’ on legislative and regulatory issues in the United States and Canada , but after eight years , I reached the conclusion that the time is right to seek new challenges and opportunities .”
Walker , who retires after 16 years in the Las Vegas hotseat , said : “ Our vision is to ‘ Be a Global Leader ,’ and we have certainly accomplished this in several areas . I know the team will continue to work toward that vision for all areas of the operation going forward .”
He will be succeeded by long serving deputy , Rosemary Vassiliadis , who will become the first female to head the Clark County Department of Aviation .
Pittsburgh to drill for oil
Allegheny County Airport Authority has approved a $ 500 million deal with Consol Energy for the rights to drill for natural gas and oil on the Pittsburgh International Airport site .
Under the deal , Consol is expected to drill at least 50 wells across 9,000 acres of land that could generate more than $ 1 billion in economic benefit for the region over the next 20 years . The airport authority claims that it will use the windfall to make Pittsburgh more competitive by reducing airline costs and enhancing its infrastructure . “ It isn ’ t often that the County is able to announce a billion dollar investment ,” quipped
Allegheny County executive , Rich Fitzgerald . Officials think the first wells will be drilled in late 2014 or early 2015 , after lengthy reviews from both the state Department of Environmental Protection and the Federal Aviation Administration .
Dublin Airport Authority has been recognised for its innovative use of social media by picking up the Communications Award at the 2013 Irish Logistics and Transport Awards . The judges were impressed by Dublin Airport ’ s significant position on Twitter , the high engagement levels that the airport generates on its Facebook page , and the airport ’ s use of new social media channels such as Pinterest , SoundCloud and Instagram .
Vienna Airport chiefs believe the Austrian gateway is “ on the right course ” after recovering from a poor 2011 to report large profit increases for 2012 . Revenue rose by 4.4 % to € 607.4 million ; EBITDA by 17.1 % to € 221.4 million , EBIT increased 60.8 % to € 108.0 million . Günther Ofner , CFO of operator Flughafen Wien AG , said : “ Our company is on the right course . In 2012 we significantly increased productivity and also generated profitable growth .
Abu Dhabi Airports Company ( ADAC ) has received a trio of ISO certificates for the provision of quality services at the Emirate ’ s gateways .
Its Airports Operations Division , which provides services at Abu Dhabi , Al Ain and Al Bateen Executive airports , has received the ISO 9001 : 2008 ( Quality Management System ), ISO 14001 : 2004 ( Environmental Management System ) and OHSAS 18001:2007 ( Occupational Health and Safety Management System ) certifications for its activities . ADAC claims that the third-party certification is international recognition of its standards and work to embrace a culture of quality and excellence .
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AIRPORT WORLD / APRIL-MAY 2013