2016-06-Airports-And-Gh Non Ue PDF

Study on airport DG MOVE, European
ownership and Commission
management and the

ground handling market
in selected non-EU
countries
Final Report Our ref: 22907301

June 2016 Client ref: MOVE/E1/SER/2015-
247-3
Study on airport DG MOVE, European
ownership and Commission
management and the

ground handling market
in selected non-EU
countries
Final Report Our ref: 22907301

June 2016 Client ref: MOVE/E1/SER/2015-
247-3
Prepared by: Prepared for:
Steer Davies Gleave DG MOVE, European Commission

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Steer Davies Gleave has prepared this material for DG MOVE, European Commission. This material may only be
used within the context and scope for which Steer Davies Gleave has prepared it and may not be relied upon in
part or whole by any third party or be used for any other purpose. Any person choosing to use any part of this
material without the express and written permission of Steer Davies Gleave shall be deemed to confirm their
agreement to indemnify Steer Davies Gleave for all loss or damage resulting therefrom. Steer Davies Gleave has
prepared this material using professional practices and procedures using information available to it at the time
and as such any new information could alter the validity of the results and conclusions made.
The information and views set out in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the
official opinion of the European Commission. The content herein should therefore not be relied upon as a
statement of the Commission's or the Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport's views. The European
Commission does not accept responsibility for any use made thereof.
Contents
Executive Summary....................................................................................................................... i
1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 1
Background and the need for this study ...................................................................................... 1
This report .................................................................................................................................... 2
2 Methodology...................................................................................................................... 3
Introduction .................................................................................................................................. 3
Stakeholder engagement.............................................................................................................. 3
Approach to collecting data.......................................................................................................... 4
3 GATS and bilateral frameworks ........................................................................................... 5

Introduction .................................................................................................................................. 5
The GATS....................................................................................................................................... 6
Bilateral frameworks .................................................................................................................. 17
4 International trends ......................................................................................................... 20

Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 20
Airport ownership ....................................................................................................................... 20
Airport management .................................................................................................................. 30
Ground handling ......................................................................................................................... 32
5 Case study: Brazil.............................................................................................................. 36

Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 36
Brazil: Airport ownership ............................................................................................................ 38
Brazil: Airport management ....................................................................................................... 39
Brazil: Ground handling .............................................................................................................. 43
6 Case study: China ............................................................................................................. 51

Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 51
Context ....................................................................................................................................... 51
China: Airport ownership............................................................................................................ 52
China: Airport management ....................................................................................................... 54
China: Ground handling .............................................................................................................. 56
7 Case study: India .............................................................................................................. 59
June 2016
Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 59
Context ....................................................................................................................................... 59
India: Airport ownership ............................................................................................................. 59
India: Airport management ........................................................................................................ 60
India: Ground handling ............................................................................................................... 63
8 Case study: Japan ............................................................................................................. 69

Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 69
Context ....................................................................................................................................... 69
Japan: Airport ownership ........................................................................................................... 70
Japan: Airport management ....................................................................................................... 74
Japan: Ground handling .............................................................................................................. 77
9 Case study: Mexico ........................................................................................................... 82

Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 82
Context ....................................................................................................................................... 82
Mexico: Airport ownership ......................................................................................................... 83
Mexico: Airport management .................................................................................................... 84
Mexico: Ground handling ........................................................................................................... 90
10 Case study: Morocco .......................................................................................................100

Introduction .............................................................................................................................. 100
Context ..................................................................................................................................... 100
Morocco: Airport ownership .................................................................................................... 101
Morocco: Airport management ................................................................................................ 102
Morocco: Ground handling....................................................................................................... 103
11 Case study: Philippines ....................................................................................................108

Introduction .............................................................................................................................. 108
Context ..................................................................................................................................... 108
Philippines: Airport ownership ................................................................................................. 109
Philippines: Airport management............................................................................................. 109
Philippines: Ground handling ................................................................................................... 112
12 Case study: Turkey...........................................................................................................115

Introduction .............................................................................................................................. 115
June 2016
Context ..................................................................................................................................... 115
Turkey: Airport ownership ........................................................................................................ 116
Turkey: Airport management ................................................................................................... 117
Turkey: Ground handling .......................................................................................................... 126
13 Case study: United Arab Emirates ....................................................................................136

Introduction .............................................................................................................................. 136
Context ..................................................................................................................................... 136
UAE: Airport ownership ............................................................................................................ 137
UAE: Airport management ....................................................................................................... 141
UAE: Ground handling .............................................................................................................. 142
14 Case study: USA...............................................................................................................148

Introduction .............................................................................................................................. 148
Context ..................................................................................................................................... 148
USA: Airport ownership ............................................................................................................ 149
USA: Airport management........................................................................................................ 152
USA: Ground handling .............................................................................................................. 155
15 Market overview: France .................................................................................................161

Introduction .............................................................................................................................. 161
Airport ownership ..................................................................................................................... 161
Airport management ................................................................................................................ 162
Ground Handling....................................................................................................................... 164
16 Market overview: Germany .............................................................................................169

Introduction .............................................................................................................................. 169
Ground handling ....................................................................................................................... 171
Conclusion ................................................................................................................................ 174
17 Market overview: UK .......................................................................................................175

Introduction .............................................................................................................................. 175
Airport management ................................................................................................................ 178
Ground Handling....................................................................................................................... 179
June 2016
Figures
Figure 4.1: Map of selected major airports showing private sector involvement (in either
ownership or management)* ..................................................................................................... 27
Figure 5.1 Prioritization of airports requiring intervention – McKinsey & Company ................ 40
Figure 5.2: Brazilian ground handling market share by company (ramp) .................................. 45
Figure 5.3: Brazilian ground handling market share by company (passenger) .......................... 46
Figure 5.4 Geographic Distribution of ground handling companies in Brazil – ABESATA .......... 47
Figure 5.5 Number of ground handling companies providing ‘operational services’ at Brazilian
airports ....................................................................................................................................... 48
Figure 6.1: Chinese ground handling market share by company (ramp) ................................... 57
Figure 6.2: Chinese ground handling market share by company (passenger) ........................... 58
Figure 7.1: Indian ground handling market share by company (ramp) ...................................... 66
Figure 7.2: Indian ground handling market share by company (passenger) .............................. 67
Figure 8.1: Japanese ground handling market share by company (ramp) ................................. 78
Figure 8.2: Japanese ground handling market share by company (passenger) ......................... 78
Figure 9.1: Location of the three main concessionaires’ airports and Mexico City International
Airport......................................................................................................................................... 86
Figure 9.2: Mexican ground handling market share by company (ramp) .................................. 92
Figure 9.3: Mexican ground handling market share by company (passenger) .......................... 92
Figure 10.1: Moroccan ground handling market share by company (ramp)............................ 104
Figure 10.2: Moroccan ground handling market share by company (passenger) .................... 105
Figure 11.1: Filipino ground handling market share by company (ramp and passenger) ........ 113
Figure 12.1: Turkish ground handling market share by company (ramp) ................................ 128
Figure 12.2: Turkish ground handling market share by company (passenger) ........................ 129
Figure 13.1: UAE ground handling market share by company (ramp and passenger) ............. 144
Figure 13.2: UAE ground handling market share by company (passenger) ............................. 145
Figure 14.1: USA ground handling market share by company (ramp) ..................................... 156
Figure 14.2: USA ground handling market share by company (passenger) ............................. 157
Figure 15.1: Ownership structure of Aéroports de Paris .......................................................... 162
Figure 16.1: Independent ground handling operators at German airports ............................. 173
Figure 17.1: Ownership structure of Gatwick Airport Limited (GAL) - 2015 ............................ 176
Figure 17.2: Ownership structure of HAL - 2016 ...................................................................... 177
June 2016
Tables
Table 1.1: Ground handling stations by company (2011 and 2015/2016) .................................. vi
Table 2.1: Stakeholder status at project conclusion..................................................................... 3
Table 3.1: List of commitments and relevant limitations by country ......................................... 11
Table 3.2: List of exemptions ...................................................................................................... 14
Table 3.3: Bilateral Trade Agreement status for the non-EU countries in scope ....................... 18
Table 4.1: Attribution of circumstances to airport ownership or airport management ............ 23
Table 4.2: Major airport investment groups .............................................................................. 24
Table 4.3: Ground handling stations by company (2011 and 2015/2016) ................................. 33
Table 4.4: Ground handling revenues by company (calendar or FY 2014) ................................ 33
Table 5.1 Commercial Service airports with highest number of passengers in 2015 ................ 37
Table 5.2 Public airports operating under a concession agreement in 2015 ............................. 39
Table 5.3 Airports operating by concession, Brazil..................................................................... 41
Table 5.4 Concession auction process ........................................................................................ 42
Table 5.5 Ground handling companies – Brazil airports 2015.................................................... 49
Table 6.1: Top 20 Chinese airports by number of arriving and departing passengers, 2014 ..... 51
Table 7.1: Busiest airports by number of passengers................................................................. 59
Table 7.2: Indira Gandhi (Delhi) International Airport shareholders ......................................... 61
Table 7.3: Chhatrapati Shivaji (Mumbai) International Airport shareholders ............................ 61
Table 7.4: Kempegowda (Bangalore) International Airport shareholders ................................. 62
Table 7.5: Rajiv Gandhi (Hyderabad) International Airport shareholders .................................. 62
Table 7.6: Authorised Ground Handlers at Metro Airports ........................................................ 68
Table 8.1: Busiest 20 commercial Service Airports by passenger numbers in Japan, CY 2014 .. 69
Table 8.2: Classification of airports in Japan according to Airport Law...................................... 70
Table 8.3: Entities of operating and managing airports in Japan ............................................... 71
Table 8.4: JAL Group ground handling companies ..................................................................... 79
Table 8.5: ANA Group ground handling companies ................................................................... 79
Table 8.6: Other ground handling companies ............................................................................ 79
Table 8.7: Swissport Japan’s operations and customer airlines in Japan ................................... 80
Table 8.8: Ground handling operators at Narita Airport ............................................................ 81
June 2016
Table 9.1: Commercial Service Airports with highest number of arriving and departing
passengers in 2015 ..................................................................................................................... 82
Table 9.2: Airports administered and operated by each private concessionaire....................... 85
Table 9.3: Airports administered and operated by the state owned concessionaire ASA ......... 86
Table 9.4: Volume of passengers by concessionaire group, 2015 .............................................. 87
Table 9.5: Main ground handling companies operating in Mexico ............................................ 93
Table 9.6: Companies operating at the most important airports in Mexico .............................. 94
Table 9.7: Airports served by Aeromexico Servicios .................................................................. 95
Table 9.8: Airports served by Ground Control Mexico ............................................................... 96
Table 9.9: Menzies ground handling services ............................................................................. 96
Table 9.10: Mexico Airports in which Menzies has operations .................................................. 97
Table 9.11: Services provided by Groundforce Mexico .............................................................. 97
Table 9.12: Services Swissport provides in Mexico .................................................................... 97
Table 9.13: Swissport Network in Mexico .................................................................................. 98
Table 10.1: Largest commercial airports of Morocco (2014) ................................................... 100
Table 10.2: Services offered by ground handlers in Morocco .................................................. 106
Table 11.1: Commercial airports in the Philippines with highest number of passengers, 2014
.................................................................................................................................................. 108
Table 11.2: Philippine PPP airport projects under procurement for OAT concessions (current in
March 2016) ............................................................................................................................. 110
Table 11.3: Pre-qualified bidders for Philippine PPP airport projects under procurement
(March 2016) ............................................................................................................................ 111
Table 11.4: Ground handling companies at major airports in the Philippines ......................... 114
Table 11.5: Major airlines in the Philippines with a notable share in the ground handling
market....................................................................................................................................... 114
Table 12.1: Air transport passenger traffic in Turkey, 2015 ..................................................... 115
Table 12.2: Passenger Traffic at the 20 busiest Turkish Airports ( 2015 ) ................................ 115
Table 12.3: Privately managed airports in Turkey (2016)......................................................... 118
Table 12.4: DHMI Rent-Operate-Transfer projects (concessions)............................................ 122
Table 12.5: DHMI BOT projects ................................................................................................ 124
Table 12.6: Number of ground handling companies in Turkey by licence type (2014) ............ 129
Table 12.7: Group A licenced ground handlers in Turkey, company information (2014) ........ 130
Table 12.8: Ground handlers operating at only one airport in Turkey ..................................... 131
Table 12.9: Ground handling A Group Licences At Atatürk Airport, 2015 ............................... 132
June 2016
Table 12.10: Group B ground handling licences at Atatürk Airport By Company & Service Type,
2015 .......................................................................................................................................... 133
Table 12.11: Non-Turkish Group B ground handlers In Turkey ................................................ 135
Table 13.1: Busiest airports in UAE by total passenger numbers............................................. 136
Table 13.2: Ownership of airports serving commercial flights in the UAE ............................... 137
Table 13.3: Major ground handling companies operating in the UAE ..................................... 146
Table 14.1: Top 20 USA Commercial Service Airports by total passenger numbers (est.*), 2014
.................................................................................................................................................. 148
Table 14.2: Major US Airline Ground handling Operations ...................................................... 157
Table 14.3: Number of ground handling operators at selected US airports ............................ 158
Table 14.4: JFK Airport Ground handling Operators ................................................................ 158
Table 14.5: Major international Ground Handling Operators active in the USA ...................... 159
Table 14.6: US Ground handling companies (non-exhaustive) ................................................ 159
Table 15.1: Main ground handlers operating in France (2015 analysis) .................................. 166
Table 15.2: Overall market share of handling companies in France, 2014 .............................. 167
Table 16.1: Ownership structure of the 10 largest airports in Germany (based on passengers in
2015) ......................................................................................................................................... 170
Table 16.2: Ground Handling operators at German airports ................................................... 174
Table 17.1: Main ground handlers operating in UK, 2016........................................................ 179
Table 17.2: Selected large/main airports in the UK with the number of ground handling
providers at the airport ............................................................................................................ 180
June 2016
Executive Summary
Background
The markets for airport management and ownership, and ground handling provision have
undergone significant changes in recent decades. Ownership and management of airports
across the globe have moved away from the public sector, with around 500 commercial
airports worldwide now having some form of private sector participation in their management
or ownership. Key drivers of these changes are to provide receipts for the public budget, to
facilitate large infrastructure investment through private sources of finance and to utilise
management experience and techniques from international airport operators in local markets.
In the ground handling sector, services are increasingly provided by specialised companies
operating across a large number of airports either in the European Union (EU) or globally.
Traditionally these services have been provided by airports or airlines themselves, but the
opening up of the ground handling markets (in the EU, under Directive 96/67/EC) has resulted
in a greater range of specialised companies taking advantage of these opportunities.
The European Commission has commissioned this study to increase its understanding of the
international market for airport services and ground handling, and, in the context of the large
volume of airport transactions, improve their understanding of this market and how it works.
In this context particular attention is given to the access that EU companies have to non-EU
markets for airport ownership and management and the ground handling sector.
This report includes 10 case studies on airport ownership and management and ground
handling for the non-EU countries in scope:
1. Brazil;
2. China;
3. India;
4. Japan;
5. Mexico;
6. Morocco;
7. Philippines;
8. Turkey;
9. United Arab Emirates (UAE); and
10. United States of America(USA).
Three further case studies are also provided, summarising the barriers to airport ownership
and management and ground handling market entry for three EU countries:
1. France;
2. Germany; and
3. UK.
Methodology
Our approach to this study was to use a combination of stakeholder consultation and desk
research of publically available data.
The purpose of the stakeholder consultation was to gather insights in order to understand the
international frameworks which apply to the airports and ground handling sectors as well as
trends in these sectors and particular barriers to entry in the 10 non-EU countries in scope.
June 2016 | i
A range of publically available data has been used throughout this report. The case studies in
particular cite a number of different sources, including legal documents, governments, news
publications, and published reports. All the case study research was supported by in-country
and/or native-language speaking researchers.
GATS and bilateral frameworks
GATS
The General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) is a World Trade Organisation (WTO)
treaty that entered into force in January 1995. It creates a framework for services trade with
similar objectives to its merchandise counterpart, the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade
(GATT). The objective of the GATS is to promote trade and development by creating a credible
and reliable system of international trade rules, which ensures fair treatment of all
participants through binding policy and progressive liberalisation.
Part III of The GATS Framework Agreement contains general obligations relevant to airport
ownership and management and ground handling and applies to all WTO members; it contains
provisions which aim to promote the liberalisation of national markets, fair international
competition and encourage foreign capital flows. However other components of the GATS
allow WTO members to be exempt from these provisions meaning that some of them (among
the countries analysed in more detail Brazil, China, Mexico, Philippines, Turkey and the UAE)
have commitments or exemptions which allow them to place limitations on foreign capital
flows.
Air transport services are governed by an annex of the GATS, which specifically excludes traffic
rights and services directly related to traffic from the agreement, and states that it applies only
to measures affecting the following areas:
 aircraft repair and maintenance services;
 the selling and marketing of air transport services; and
 computer reservation system (CRS) services.
Airport ownership and management and ground handling are not mentioned and there is
therefore disagreement amongst WTO members whether these areas are covered by the
GATS. Some Members argue that ground handling and airport management services (covering
ownership and management) are not activities directly relating to traffic rights so are
therefore covered by the GATS. Other states argue against it.
The only way to resolve this would be for a formal dispute to be launched within the WTO, so
that a panel could be established to decide. If it is found that airport management services and
ground handling services are covered by the GATS, then the framework provisions would in
principle all apply, along with the rest of the agreement. Although several reviews have been
launched, there is no timeline for a decision to be made on the matter. Until then, the
applicability of the GATS to airport ownership and management and ground handling remains
unclear.
Bilateral Frameworks
There are two sets of bilateral agreements related to airport ownership and management and
ground handling:
 Air Service Agreements, which cover many aspects of international air services including
traffic rights, fair competition, ownership, safety, and security; and
June 2016 | ii
 Trade Agreements, which are more general and varied in scope, and aim to remove trade
and investment barriers which apply to many sectors including aviation.
Of the 10 non-EU countries in scope, the EU currently has comprehensive Air Service
Agreements (ASAs) with Morocco and the USA, with Brazil under negotiation. These
agreements are similar in format and do not contain any provisions regarding ownership or
management of airports; provisions on commercial opportunities and inward investment refer
only to air carriers. Although all the agreements do contain provisions relating to ground
handling, they do not contain any requirements for competition in the ground handling
market; they only stipulate that air carriers have the right to perform their own ground
handling services or select amongst competing suppliers.
At the time of writing the EU is in the process of negotiating bilateral trade and investment
agreements with several of the selected countries; but currently only has preferential trade
agreements in place with Mexico, Morocco and Turkey. None of the agreements contain any
specific provisions relating to airport ownership, management or ground handling. The trade
in services agreement with Mexico excludes all air services and related activities in support of
air services with the exception of the three areas included in the GATS Annex on Air Transport.
The agreements with Morocco and Turkey do not make any noteworthy references to
airports, ground handling or foreign capital flows.
International Trends
Airport Ownership
Airports traditionally formed part of the public sector, being originally built either by national,
regional or local governments. Consistent with this, airport management was traditionally
undertaken by the state, either directly or through a bespoke public sector civil aviation
administration. Over the last four decades, since the 1980s, there has been progressive
movement globally towards both commercialisation and corporatisation of airport
management and private sector involvement.
Private sector involvement has been introduced at a growing number of airports over the last
few decades, motivated by the:
 Opportunity to raise funds for the public sector through the sale of the asset;
 Increased efficiency of operation assumed to be achieved in the private sector (an
extension of the corporatisation approach); and
 Opportunity to support investment in airport infrastructure: adding terminals, runways
and other airport facilities, thereby improving the transport assets of the country
concerned without recourse to public funds.
Private sector involvement in airport ownership and management is now widespread,
although the extent to which and nature of private sector involvement in airports varies
greatly between countries. There remain some important jurisdictions where many airports
remain in the public sector with a public sector style of administration, including the United
States, Canada, France, India and the UAE. However, corporatisation of airport administration
is common at airports which remain in the public sector, or which have majority public sector
ownership and hence control, reflecting a general move away from pure public administration.
Several major airports in several European countries have a mixture of public and private
sector ownership but public sector control.
June 2016 | iii

15% of airports around the world are fully privatised, 18% are in public-private partnership
with the remaining 67% in public ownership. However, the privatised or commercialised
airports now account for 50% of airport passenger traffic. The private sector is now also
sufficiently large and mature that an important part of transactions are likely to be sales of
shares between private sector entities, in addition to financing and refinancing transactions.
The maps below draws on the Air Transport Research Society’s 2015 Airport Benchmarking
Report and Steer Davies Gleave research undertaken for the 10 non-EU countries in scope for
this study to provide an overview of the ownership and management of the world’s major
airports (State or private involvement). The ATRS report has minimal coverage of the African
and South American continents.
June 2016 | iv
Map of selected major airports showing private sector involvement (in either ownership or management)*
*This map is not comprehensive. It shows major airports as published in the ATRS Airport Benchmarking Report as
well as the major airports reported in the case studies in this report. The ATRS report, for example, has minimal
coverage of the African and South American continents.
Source: Air Transport Research Society, Airport Benchmarking Report – 2015, Steer Davies Gleave analysis
A general feature of the trend towards commercialisation and privatisation of airports is that
different countries have chosen to adopt different strategies in relation to which airports are
included. Some countries have chosen to maximise returns by privatising the most attractive
airports with the largest traffic base; leaving the smaller, potentially, loss-making airports,
under state management. Other countries have sought to privatise a national airport operator
as a whole, or privatise groups of airports.
Airport Management
Styles of airport management are often driven to some extent by the ownership structure and
the regulatory regime. Where airports are run from entirely within the public sector, the
management style may put the emphasis on conformity to regulation. The introduction of
commercialisation or corporatisation is often motivated by the desire to improve the airports'
commercial performance. Consequently, management at commercialised airports tends to
focus on enhanced revenue generation and reduction of operating costs.
Many airport owning groups include a combination of airport operators and private investors.
The airport operators within the owning groups tend to be responsible for the management of
the airport, with the private sector investors focusing on providing finance and achieving good
returns. In some cases, private sector involvement is largely limited to managing the airport
operation, either as a management contract or with a concession requiring relatively little
capital investment. However, in many cases, airport concessions have been established where
an important condition for bidders for the concession is to commit to very significant capital
expenditure, this being the rationale of the process from the public sector.
Regulation of aeronautical revenues is common place where airports are privately owned, and
often also the case when acting as corporatised entities with a mixture of public and private
ownership.
June 2016 | v
Ground handling
The global market for ground handling is estimated as having a value of €70 - €90 billion per
year. The market is commonly served by one or a combination of:
 Self-handling by the airlines;
 Airport's own ground handling company; and/or
 Third party, independent ground handling companies.
Each country and airport has different rules and processes for market entry. IATA estimates
that up to 50% of ground handling services globally are outsourced to third parties. In the US,
by far the largest national market, some 65% of the market is serviced through the main
airlines (United, Delta, Southwest and American) own ground handling companies.
Traditionally, ground handling was provided by local based airlines or airports; however
liberalisation has facilitated greater market access and some consolidation. A number of the
third party independent ground handling companies are businesses working across the globe;
there has been a trend to consolidation in the industry reflecting the commoditised and low
margin nature of the business, but also a way to provide market access to restricted markets
where barriers to entry still exist.
As an indication of the spread of the larger ground handling organisations data for 2011 and
2015/2016 is presented in the table below. These demonstrate that there are a few large
companies operating worldwide, although there remain a large number of niche operators
working at only a few airports, as well as the airlines who undertake self-handling.
Table 1.1: Ground handling stations by company (2011 and 2015/2016)
Operator Stations (2011) Stations (current)

Swissport/Servisair 316 290
Menzies 136 149
WFS-Aviapartner 155 145
SATS (Singapore) 10 30
DNATA (Dubai) 18 58
Fraport 13 n/a
Celebi 35 36
Source: KPMG presentation quoted in CAPA article, 20 Nov 2014, Company annual reports and websites. Swissport
and Servisair data have been combined reflecting their subsequent merger
Restrictions on market entry can either be regulatory (for example reciprocal self-handling in
the bilateral Air Service Agreement), infrastructure related or designed to protect local or
airport company ground handling operations. A variety of approaches are used worldwide.
In a European Context, EU Directive 96/67 opens access to the market for groundhandling
services at airports with more than two million passengers per annum. At the same time, it
allows Member States to limit the number of providers for certain categories at these airports,
however, not to less than two ground handling providers. One of these providers needs to be
an independent handler (not the airport operator or airline with more than 25% of traffic at
the airport). In the three EU States studied, France requires Ground handling companies
operating there to be based in the EU, Germany has no explicit rule on nationality but most
June 2016 | vi
companies operating there are German registered, while the UK includes a reciprocity rule for
access to its market for all EU and non-EU countries.
Consolidation in the industry is therefore likely to continue to develop, driven by economies of
scale. However, because equipment needs to be located at a single airport, it may continue to
be cost-effective for smaller well-established operators to dominate in particular markets.
Therefore, consolidation is likely to be patchy and to develop at different rates in different
countries and airport groups.
Case Studies
A summary of the case studies of the 10 non-EU countries and market analysis of the three EU
countries in scope are shown in the following tables below.
.
June 2016 | vii

Non-EU country case studies
Airport Ownership Airport Management Ground Handling

Commercial Commercial Major
Foreign European European Foreign
airports with airports with Foreign Investment European
Country Current Situation Investment companies Current Situation companies Current Situation Value of market Investment
some private some private Restrictions companies
Restrictions present present Restrictions
ownership management present
Concessions with
No current legislation
minimum
that allows privately
Brazil - - - investment 6 No formal restrictions 3 Liberalised market €566 Million None 1
owned commercial
requirements at
airports
some airports
Foreign
investment Commercial
Foreign
permitted in airports are Foreign investment
Commercial airports Liberalised investment
partnership managed owned permitted in
are state owned or market, but permitted in
with a or majority partnership with a
China majority state owned More than 10 1 More than 10 3-4 dominated by €2.4 Billion partnership -
Chinese managed owned Chinese entity and
with some private airlines and with a
entity, with some cannot be the
investment airports Chinese
generally private majority stakeholder
entity
limited to investment
25%
Majority of
commercial
Majority of
airports 74% maximum Semi liberalised
commercial airports
publically foreign shareholding, market; some
publically owned, No formal
India 2 - - managed, a small 4 but limited to 49% in 2 restrictions on €246 Million 4
some greenfield restrictions
number are some concession self-handling level
airports privately
privately agreements and competition
owned
managed via
concessions
No legal restrictions
on private Some airport Liberalised
No formal
investment in corporatised or market, but No formal
Japan 1 None - 5 restrictions, but some 2 €2.1 Billion 1
airports, in practise let through dominated by restrictions
difficulties in practise
majority fully owned concessions airlines
by the government
Large number of
airports
concessioned to
majority state
All commercial
Mexico - - - owned 34 49% limit 2 Liberalised market €377 Million None 2
airports state owned
consortiums with
some private
sector
involvement
Liberalised market
All commercial All airport state
Morocco - - - - - - through tendering € 53 Million None 2
airports state owned managed
process
June 2016 | viii

Airport Ownership Airport Management Ground Handling
Commercial Commercial Major
Foreign European European Foreign
airports with airports with Foreign Investment European
Country Current Situation Investment companies Current Situation companies Current Situation Value of market Investment
some private some private Restrictions companies
Restrictions present present Restrictions
ownership management present
Some airport in
All commercial process of being
Philippines - - - 1 40% limit - Liberalised market €163 Million 40% limit -
airports state owned let through PPP
program
Some airports Providers
Liberalised
operated must be
All commercial market, but
Turkey - - - through 11 None 2 €838 Million majority 1
airports state owned authorisation
concessions and Turkish
required
BOTs shareholding
No
legislation,
All commercial No legislation,
All commercial no foreign
UAE - - - airports state - - - closed market in €486 Million -
airports state owned service
managed practise
providers in
practise
Wide range of
management
Majority of
models,
commercial airports
terminals often
publically owned,
USA 1 (small) None - leased on 10+ None 7+ Liberalised market €7.9 Billion None 3+
although legal
concessions and
framework does exist
airport
for private ownership
operations often
outsourced
Note: the value of the ground handling market is based in assumptions and may under or over-estimate the actual value
June 2016 | ix
EU countries market analysis
Airport Ownership & Management Ground Handling

Commercial airports
Country Current Situation with some private Foreign Investment Restrictions Current Situation Foreign Investment Restrictions
involvement
Market liberalised in
Majority commercial airports state owned
line with Ground
11 regional airports managed privately via
Handling Directive EU
concessions Non-EU companies must have
France 13 (2 large, 11 small) None 96/67, although
2 Parisian airports owned and managed by establishment in France
additional approvals
ADP
and consultations are
51% ADP owned by French state
required
Market liberalised in
Legal framework exists for airport line with Ground
privatisation Handling Directive EU
Germany The majority of shareholders are German 5 None 96/67, however None
companies market still dominated
Largest shareholder is often state owned by airport operator at
many major airports
Legal framework exists for airport Market liberalised in

privatisation line with Ground
The majority of major airport are wholly Handling Directive EU
UK Over 20 None None
privately owned and operated 96/67, on a conation
Owners and operators are often not UK of reciprocity with
companies third countries
June 2016 | x
1 Introduction
1.1 This report is a project deliverable from Steer Davies Gleave for the DG MOVE study on airport
ownership and management and the ground handling market in selected non-European Union
(EU) countries.
Background and the need for this study
1.2 The markets for airport management and ownership, and ground handling provision have
undergone significant changes in recent decades.
1.3 Ownership and management of airports across the globe has moved away from the state/
public sector, with around 500 commercial airports worldwide now having some form of
private sector participation in their management or ownership. Key drivers of these changes
are to provide receipts for the public budget, to facilitate large infrastructure investment
through private sources of finance and to utilise management experience and techniques from
international airport operators in local markets. Investors can be airport operators themselves,
or financial funds or infrastructure specialists (for example global airport investors based in
Europe include Aéroport de Paris Management, AviAlliance, Ferrovial Aeropuertos, Fraport,
Zurich Airport and VINCI Airports).
1.4 There have also been a number of significant changes in the ground handling sector, with
more ground handling services provided by specialised companies operating across a large
number of airports either in the EU or globally. Previously these services would have been
provided by airports or airlines themselves, but the opening up of the ground handling market
to competition (in the EU, under Directive 96/67/EC) has resulted in these newer, specialised
companies taking advantage of the opportunities presented.
1.5 As a result, the global market for airport management and ownership, and ground handling
service provision, is providing more opportunities for investors and private companies.
However these opportunities may not always be available for foreign companies due to
existing barriers to foreign trade and investment (e.g. limiting the proportions of airport
ownership, or access for companies).
1.6 The European Commission has commissioned this study to increase its understanding of the
international market for airport services and ground handling, and, in the context of the large
volume of airport transactions, improve their understanding of this market and how it works.
In this context the Commission wishes to further develop the understanding of the access that
EU companies have to non-EU markets for airport ownership and management and the
ground handling sector.
June 2016 | 1
This report
1.7 The purpose of this report is to provide outputs for all tasks undertaken as part of the study,
including 10 case studies on airport ownership and management and ground handling for the
non-EU countries in scope:
4. Brazil;
5. China;
6. India;
7. Japan;
8. Mexico;
9. Morocco;
10. Philippines;
11. Turkey;
12. United Arab Emirates (UAE); and
13. United States of America(USA).
1.8 Three further case studies are also provided, summarising the barriers to airport ownership
and management and ground handling market entry for the three EU countries in scope:
14. France;
15. Germany; and
16. UK.
1.9 The document is structured as follows:
 Chapter 2 sets out our project methodology, including stakeholder engagement and our
approach to collecting data;
 Chapter 3 sets out the results of our review of the General Agreement on Trade in
Services (GATS) and bilateral frameworks;
 Chapter 4 sets out our review of international trends in airport ownership, management,
and the ground handling sector;
 Chapters 5- 14 provide our case studies on airport ownership and management and the
ground handling markets for the 10 non-EU countries in scope; and
 Chapters 15-17 provide our case studies on barriers to airport ownership and
management and ground handling market entry for the 3 EU countries in scope.
June 2016 | 2
2 Methodology
Introduction
2.1 In this chapter we provide an overview of our methodology for the study, including the
stakeholder consultation, and our approach to collecting data for the study.
Stakeholder engagement
2.2 The purpose of the stakeholder consultation component of the study is to gather insights in
relation to the main study themes, in particular to understand the international frameworks
which apply to the airports and ground handling sectors as well as trends in these sectors and
particular barriers to entry in the 10 non-EU countries in scope. In agreement with the
Commission we defined a programme of stakeholder interaction that involved the following
organisations:
 European Commission officials;
 World Trade Organisation (WTO);
 Airports representatives;
 Investor groups; and
 International ground handling operators.
2.3 Stakeholders were sent an introductory email in January 2016 which explained the purpose of
the study and invited stakeholders to participate. If a stakeholder agreed to participate, they
were sent a question list and a time for a telephone conversation was agreed.
2.4 The majority of stakeholders agreed to participate, and there was no stakeholder group with
no participation. However confidentiality of responses was a concern for the private-sector
stakeholders. For this reason, none of the investor groups or independent ground handlers
who accepted to participate is identified in this report.
2.5 Table 2.1 provides additional detail on the contact status for each stakeholder. We note that
the stakeholder group contacted is larger than originally planned. This is primarily due to the
support of ACI Europe, who have provided us with direct contacts at other relevant ACI
regional offices for the purposes of further understanding the market for airport ownership
and management and ground handling in the non-EU countries in scope.
Table 2.1: Stakeholder status at project conclusion
Stakeholder Type Stakeholder Status

European
DG Mobility and Transport
Commission Interview held
(aviation directorate)
officials
June 2016 | 3
Stakeholder Type Stakeholder Status
International
World Trade Organisation Interview held
Organisations
ACI Europe Interview held
ACI Latin America Did not participate
Airports Council
ACI Africa Interview held
International (ACI)
ACI Asia Pacific Interview held
ACI North America Interview held
[Confidential A] Interview held
[Confidential B] Interview held
Investor Groups
[Confidential C] Declined to participate
[Confidential D] Declined to participate
[Confidential A] Did not respond.
[Confidential B] Interview held.
International
Ground handlers [Confidential C] Interview held.
Association of independent GH
Did not participate.
providers (ASA)
Approach to collecting data

2.6 A range of publically available data has been used throughout this report. The case studies in
particular cite a number of different sources, including legal documents, governments, news
publications, and published reports.
2.7 All the case study research was supported by in-country and/or native-language speaking
researchers.
June 2016 | 4
3 GATS and bilateral frameworks
Introduction
3.1 In this section we provide an overview of the provisions of the General Agreement on Trade in
Services (GATS), as well as any comprehensive EU-level Air Services Agreements, or trade
agreements that have reference to airport ownership and management, and ground handling.
3.2 The chapter is divided into two main sections:
 The GATS, covering:
 An overview of the GATS in general, its purpose and participating countries;
 An overview of the GATS' general provisions relating to foreign investment and
market access, and discussion on how these might be relevant to airports and ground
handling;
 An overview of the provisions of the GATS relating to airports and ground handling
(as per the specific Annex on Air Transport Services); and
 Any relevant country-specific schedules of specific commitments where these have
been available to us; and
 Bilateral frameworks, covering;
 Air Service Agreements between the EU countries and third countries, which cover
many aspects of international air services including traffic rights, fair competition,
ownership, safety, and security; and
 Trade Agreements between the EU countries and third countries, which are more
general and varied in scope, and aim to remove trade and investment barriers which
apply to many sectors including aviation.
3.3 We discuss the application of these relevant provisions to airport ownership and management
and ground handling, as well as any key country-specific differences that have emerged with
respect to the 10 non-EU countries in scope for the study.
3.4 For this section we draw on the GATS itself, the EU-level bilateral agreements, and associated
documents. Telephone calls held with the WTO on 8 February 2016 and the Directorate-
General for Mobility and Transport of the European Commission on 5 February 2016 provided
further insights.
June 2016 | 5
The GATS
High level objective of the GATS
3.5 The GATS1 is a World Trade Organisation (WTO) treaty that entered into force in January 1995.
It creates a framework for services trade with similar objectives to its merchandise
counterpart, the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT). The GATS was created as a
result of the 'Uruguay Round' negotiation, the 8th round of multilateral trade negotiations
which were conducted within the framework of the GATT.
3.6 The objectives of the GATS are as follows:
 creating a credible and reliable system of international trade rules;
 ensuring fair and equitable treatment of all participants by applying the principle of non-
discrimination;
 stimulating economic activity through guaranteed policy bindings; and
 promoting trade and development through progressive liberalisation.
3.7 The GATS applies to all WTO Members (currently 162 members), and in principle to all service
sectors, with two exceptions:
 "services supplied in the exercise of governmental authority" (Article I). These are services
that are supplied neither on a commercial basis nor in competition with other suppliers,
such as social security schemes and any other public service, such as health or education.
 As per the Annex on Air Transport Services, measures affecting air traffic rights and
services directly related to the exercise of such rights. However, as an exception to this
carve-out, aircraft repair and maintenance services, selling and marketing of air transport
services, and computer reservation system services are covered by the Agreement.
GATS structure
3.8 There are three main components to the GATS:
 The Framework Agreement: which contains general obligations and applies to all member
countries in the same manner;
 Specific further national commitments, including:
 The Schedule of Commitments (SOC) which set out the degree of market opening
that each WTO member guarantees.; and
 MFN exemptions, where a country may exempt certain trading partners from the
Most Favoured Nation (MFN) principle.
 A number of annexes addressing the special situations of individual services sectors.
3.9 National commitments and the annex on air transport are discussed in more detail in following
sections.
3.10 The GATS framework comprises five sections:
 Part I: Scope and Definition;
 Part II: General Obligations and Disciplines;
 Part III: Specific Commitments;
 Part IV: Progressive Liberalisation; and
1
World Trade Organisation, https://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/serv_e/gatsqa_e.htm, Accessed 5
February 2016
June 2016 | 6
 Part V: Institutional Provisions.
3.11 The GATS distinguishes between four 'modes' of supplying services, all of which are relevant to
the airport and ground handling industry:
 Cross-border supply: covering services flows from the territory of one Member into the
territory of another Member (e.g. data service provision in the aviation sector);
 Consumption abroad: where a service consumer e.g. tourist moves into another
Member's territory to obtain a service;
 Commercial presence: when a service supplier of one Member establishes a territorial
presence, including through ownership or lease of premises, in another Member's
territory to provide a service. This mode will cover most of the examples we are
investigating in relation to the airport ownership, management and ground handling
sectors; and
 Presence of natural persons: when persons of one Member enter temporarily the
territory of another Member to supply a service e.g. provision of advisory or consultancy
services in the aviation sector.
GATS obligations
3.12 Obligations for each WTO Member in the GATS may be categorised into two broad groups:
 General obligations, which apply directly and automatically to all Members and services
sectors. General obligations include the Most Favoured Nation (MFN)2 and Transparency3
principles, as well as the establishment of administrative review and appeals procedures
and disciplines on the operation of monopolies and exclusive suppliers, and
 Commitments concerning market access and national treatment in specifically
designated sectors:
 Market access and national treatment commitments are laid down in individual
country schedules named Schedules of Commitments. The scope of commitments
may vary widely between Members.
3.13 Each WTO Member is required to have a Schedule of Commitments (SoC) which identifies the
services for which the Member guarantees market access and national treatment and any
limitations that may be attached. The extent of the Commitments is generally dependent on
the level of economic development in the country in question and when the country became a
WTO member (more recent members have tended to guarantee higher levels of market
opening than older members). These are subject in principle to a continuing process of
liberalisation where countries may increase the level of market opening and update their
2
The MFN principle requires non-discrimination and equal treatment for virtually everyone. Each
member treats all the other members equally as “most-favoured” trading partners. If a country
improves the benefits that it gives to one trading partner, it has to give the same “best” treatment to all
the other WTO members so that they all remain “most-favoured”. The MFN principle ensures that each
country treats its over—160 fellow-members equally. Under the GATS, WTO Members had a one-off
possibility to take exemptions from the MFN obligation. These are found in Member-specific MFN
exemption lists. Source: https://www.wto.org/english/thewto_e/whatis_e/tif_e/fact2_e.htm.
Accessed 8 February 2016
3
The Transparency principle aims “...to make countries’ trade rules as clear and public (“transparent”)
as possible.” Source: https://www.wto.org/english/thewto_e/whatis_e/tif_e/fact2_e.htm. Accessed
8 February 2016
June 2016 | 7
Commitments accordingly. The Schedule may also be used to assume additional commitments
regarding, for example, the implementation of specified standards or regulatory principles.
3.14 Market access and national treatment commitments and limitations that diverge from the
standard market access text in the main body of the GATS are country dependent. For
example, countries may impose limitations on the number of services suppliers, service
operations or employees in the sector; the value of transactions; the legal form of the service
supplier; or the participation of foreign capital.
3.15 Members cannot be more restrictive than their SoC, but they can be more liberal. We
understand from the WTO that the SoC does not bind the actual degree of liberalisation – they
could paint a more restrictive position than the actual position on the ground. This situation,
where the SoC is more restrictive in theory than practice, is becoming more prevalent as
Members increase the level of actual market opening without revising their SoC. In practice,
the WTO stated, the SoC may be outdated.
Provisions of the GATS relating to foreign investment and market access
3.16 In this section we describe the provisions in the GATS framework that may be of relevance to
airport ownership and management and ground handling services.
3.17 The Scope and Definition part of the GATS states that “each Member shall accord services and
service suppliers of any other Member treatment no less favourable than that provided for
under the terms, limitations and conditions agreed and specified in its Schedule.”4
3.18 Article XVI of Part III of the GATS framework (i.e. the Specific Commitments Part) provides for
the GATS disciplines on market access. In sectors where market-access commitments are
undertaken, the measures which a Member shall not adopt or maintain - either on the basis of
a regional subdivision or on the basis of its entire territory, unless otherwise specified in its
SoC - are defined as follows5:
 limitations on the number of service suppliers whether in the form of numerical quotas,
monopolies, exclusive service suppliers or the requirements of an economic needs test;
 limitations on the total value of service transactions or assets in the form of numerical
quotas or the requirement of an economic needs test;
 limitations on the total number of service operations or on the total quantity of service
output expressed in terms of designated numerical units in the form of quotas or the
requirement of an economic needs test;
 limitations on the total number of natural persons that may be employed in a particular
service sector or that a service supplier may employ and who are necessary for, and
directly related to, the supply of a specific service in the form of numerical quotas or the
requirement of an economic needs test;
 measures which restrict or require specific types of legal entity or joint venture through
which a service supplier may supply a service; and
 limitations on the participation of foreign capital in terms of maximum percentage limit
on foreign shareholding or the total value of individual or aggregate foreign investment.
4
World Trade Organisation, GATS, https://www.wto.org/english/docs_e/legal_e/26-gats_01_e.htm,
5
Ibid.
June 2016 | 8
3.19 Article XVII (Part III) provides for the GATS disciplines on national treatment. In sectors where
national treatment commitments are undertaken, a Member will not operate discriminatory
measures benefitting domestic services or service suppliers, subject to any specified
conditions and qualifications.
GATS Annex on Air Transport
3.20 Air transport services are governed by a specific annex of the GATS, which excludes traffic
rights and services directly related to traffic from the agreement6. The annex states that it
applies only to measures affecting the following areas:
3.21 We understand from discussions with the WTO that there is no agreement among Members
on the precise scope of application of the GATS (and air transport annex) to airport ownership
and management and ground handling:
 Some Members argue that ground handling and airport management services, although
not explicitly listed as sectors covered by GATS Annex on Air Transport, are not activities
directly relating to traffic rights so are therefore covered by the GATS.
 Others argue against it, citing the three sectors explicitly mentioned as the only ones
subject to the Agreement's disciplines.
3.22 We understand that, short of a clarification agreed to by all Members, the only way to resolve
this would be for a formal dispute to be launched within the WTO, so that a panel could be
established to decide.
3.23 If it is found/decided that the GATS does not cover airport management services and ground
handling, then the market access, national treatment and MFN principles do not apply to
these services. Conversely if they are found to be covered by the GATS, then the provisions
would apply, along with the rest of the agreement.
3.24 The air transport component of the GATS is subject to a specific review process. Paragraph 5
of the Air Transport Annex states that "the Council for Trade in Services shall review
periodically, and at least every five years, developments in the air transport sector and the
operation of the annex with a view to considering the further application of the Agreement to
the sector". A first review took place in 2000-2003. The second review, which formally opened
in September 2005, is dormant.
3.25 It is in the context of this second review that the coverage of airport management services and
ground handling is being discussed. We understand from the WTO that whilst in theory, these
reviews are expected to take place every five years, in practice, work on this second review
took place up to 2007, and then was taken off the formal table of discussion. This was because
no agreement could be reached amongst WTO Members regarding the coverage of airport
management services and ground handling in the GATS, and the decision was taken to move it
to a ‘side-discussion’, in order to provide the two ‘main camps’ on either side of the issue with
an opportunity to reach agreement. Once an agreement has been reached between the two
6
GATS, Annex on Air Transport Services, https://www.wto.org/english/docs_e/legal_e/26-gats.pdf,
June 2016 | 9
main camps, this could be taken to the wider WTO membership for approval. An agreement
has not yet been reached, and as a result the second review has been dormant since 2007.
GATS Schedules of Commitments and Exemptions
3.26 As noted above, commitments concerning market access and national treatment in specifically
designated sectors are laid down in individual country schedules whose scope may vary widely
between Members.
3.27 Members decide what their commitments will be7. The commitments appear in "schedules"
that list:
 the sectors being opened;
 the extent of market access being given in those sectors e.g. whether there are any
restrictions on foreign ownership; and
 the extent of limitations on national treatment e.g. whether some rights granted to local
companies will not be granted to foreign companies.
3.28 When a government commits itself to allow specific services to be supplied in its domestic
market, this is a commitment. If the government establishes limitations to, for example, the
number of licences it will issue, then that is a market-access limitation. If it also applies
different rules of operation to foreign companies than domestic companies providing the
same service, that is a limitation to national treatment.
3.29 We provide below any potentially relevant commitments and limitations relating to airport
ownership and management and ground handling for the 10 non-EU countries in scope for this
study.
Commitments and relevant limitations
3.30 As noted previously, the GATS distinguishes between four 'modes' of supplying services: cross-
border supply, consumption abroad, commercial presence, and presence of natural persons.
With respect to airport ownership and management and ground handling, the commercial
presence mode is commercially the most relevant mode.
3.31 The stated commitments and associated limitations for the 10 non-EU countries in scope for
this study are summarised in Table 3.18. India, Japan, Morocco, United States, France,
Germany, and United Kingdom do not have any commitments relating to ground handling and
airport management services, so are not listed in the table.
7
Upon WTO Membership, they could also decide which MFN exemptions to take, if any.
8
Table 3.1 contains mostly "horizontal limitations", i.e. limitations that apply to all services sectors than
explicitly listed in the schedule. So to the extent that the countries listed in table 3.1 have not taken
commitments in GH or AM services, these limitations may or may not be relevant.
June 2016 | 10
Table 3.1: List of commitments and relevant limitations by country
Commercial presence limitations that may have some relation to airport ownership and
Country
management and ground handling
Brazil Horizontal Commitment (i.e. all sectors included in the schedule):
All foreign capital invested in Brazil must be registered with the Central Bank of Brazil to be
eligible for remittances. The Central Bank establishes procedures related to remittances and
transfer of funds abroad.
China Horizontal Commitment (i.e. all sectors included in the schedule):
In China, foreign invested enterprises include foreign capital enterprises, also referred to as
wholly foreign-owned enterprises, and joint venture enterprises and there are two types of joint
venture enterprises: equity joint ventures and contractual joint ventures.
The proportion of foreign investment in an equity joint venture shall be no less than 25% of the
registered capital of the joint venture.
Mexico Horizontal Commitment (i.e. all sectors included in the schedule):
Foreign investment in activities reserved for Mexican nationals must be through neutral shares,
whose purchase must be quoted on the Mexican Stock Exchange.
Foreigners may not acquire direct ownership of land and water in a 50 km. strip on the coastline
and 100 km. strip along the frontiers. Unbound for research and development subsidies and
incentives to small service enterprises owned by Mexican nationals.
Sector: Airport and helicopter administration services (CPC 746)
Foreign investment only up to 30 per cent of the registered capital of enterprises. A concession
from the Ministry of Transport and Communications (SCT) is required to operate an airport.
Philippines Horizontal Commitment (i.e. all sectors included in the schedule):
In Activities Expressly Reserved by Law to Citizens of the Philippines (i.e., foreign equity is limited
to a minority share):
The participation of foreign investors in the governing body of any corporation engaged in
activities expressly reserved to citizens of the Philippines by law shall be limited to the
proportionate share of foreign capital of such entities. All executive and managing officers must
be citizens of the Philippines.
Acquisition of Land: All lands of the public domain are owned by the State.
Only citizens of the Philippines or corporations or associations at least 60 per cent of whose
capital is owned by such citizens may own land other than public lands and acquire public lands
through lease. Foreign investors may lease only private-owned lands
June 2016 | 11
Commercial presence limitations that may have some relation to airport ownership and
Country
management and ground handling
Turkey Horizontal Commitment (i.e. all sectors included in the schedule):
Foreign investment above $ 150 million requires the approval of the Council of Ministers. A new
Decree removing this limitation is under preparation. The capital must be brought in as foreign
exchange.
United Arab Horizontal Commitment (i.e. all sectors included in the schedule):
Emirates
Commercial presence will be through either (i) a representative office or (ii) an incorporation as
a company with maximum foreign equity participation of 49% subject to UAE law.
Source: WTO, https://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/serv_e/serv_commitments_e.htm
MFN Exemptions
3.32 When the GATS came into force in 1995, Members were allowed a once-only opportunity to
take an exemption from the MFN principle of non-discrimination between a member's trading
partners. The exemption had to indicate the nature of the discriminatory treatment, the
Members concerned, and its intended duration. These exemptions should not last for more
than ten years "in principle", but in practice, as noted above, many are still in place in 2016, 20
years after entry into force.
3.33 As regards MFN exemptions, we understand, based on insights provided by the WTO, that
Members have generally not taken MFN exemptions specifically with respect to airport
management services and ground handling with the exception of the following:
 Chinese Taipei, which has taken an exemption for "ramping services provided in airports
and other supporting services for air transport"; and
 any Members who recently acceded that may also have included some parts of ground
handling and airport management services.
3.34 Some Members may have taken SoC in this area, which is likely due to the fact that the
understanding of these Members is that airport management services and ground handling
are covered by the GATS. Once there is a WTO Member agreement on their inclusion in the
GATS, WTO Members can then take SoC relating to these services.
3.35 Nevertheless,
June 2016 | 12
3.36 Table 3.2 3.2 presents the list of the exemptions included for Turkey and the UAE for either the
air transport sector, or any related sector. The remaining countries: Brazil, China, India, Japan,
Mexico, Morocco, Philippines, United States, France, Germany and United Kingdom do not
have any specific exemptions.
June 2016 | 13
Table 3.2: List of exemptions
Country Description of measure Countries to which the measure Intended Conditions creating
indicating its applies duration the need for the
inconsistency with exemption
Article II (MFN
Treatment)
Turkey Extending full national Germany, USA, The Netherlands, Indefinite Desire to create
treatment for the Belgium, Luxembourg, Romania, favourable
investments of the Bangladesh, Austria, Switzerland, conditions for a
nationals or companies Denmark, Japan, Kuwait, Tunisia, greater economic
of these countries. South Korea, Poland, China, United cooperation
Kingdom, Finland, Hungary, between Turkey and
Argentina, Albania, Kyrgyzstan, mentioned
Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, countries and to
Uzbekistan, Georgia, Jordan, encourage
Malaysia, Spain, Italy, Norway, investments by
Algeria, Russian Federation, nationals and
Mongolia, Lithuania, France, Sweden, companies of one
Bulgaria, Moldova, Estonia, Latvia, country in the
Azerbaijan, Israel, Ukraine territory of the
other countries
United Preferential treatment GCC countries Indefinite GCC regional

Arab for service suppliers of arrangement and
Emirates the Gulf Cooperation eventual economic
Council (GCC) countries. integration in the
area of services.
Source: WTO, https://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/serv_e/serv_commitments_e.htm
The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP)

3.37 The TPP is a trade agreement between 12 Pacific countries, signed in February 2016. It aims to
deepen economic ties between the signatory nations, reducing tariffs and other barriers
promoting trade to boost growth. Member countries are also hoping to foster a closer
relationship on economic policies and regulation9. The 12 signatory nations are the US, Japan,
Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore, Brunei, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Mexico, Chile and
Peru, and it is understood that a number of these larger economy nations were in opposing
‘main camps’ with respect to the coverage of airport management services and ground
handling under the GATS air transport review (as noted above).
9
BBC News, TPP: What is it and why does it matter?, 3 February 2016,
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-32498715, Accessed 8 February 2016
June 2016 | 14
3.38 Of particular relevance to this study is the fact that Chapter 10 of the TPP10 (Cross-Border
Trade in Services) states clearly that its scope excludes air services, and related services in
support of air services, other than the following:
 aircraft repair and maintenance services during which an aircraft is withdrawn from
service, excluding so-called line maintenance;
 selling and marketing of air transport services;
 computer reservation system services;
 specialty air services;
 airport operation services; and
 ground handling services.
3.39 In other words, an agreement on the inclusion of airport operation services and ground
handling services has been reached under TPP. TTP states that any bilateral, plurilateral, or
multilateral air services agreements should prevail over TTP, and that any definitions in the
TPP should be updated to align with the Air Transport Annex of the GATS, should this be
updated.
3.40 The TPP articles cover provisions including the following:
 National treatment and MFN treatment;
 Market access;
 Local presence;
 Domestic regulation; and
 Recognition (e.g. of licences).
Conclusion
3.41 In this section we have provided an overview of the GATS and its relevance to airport
ownership and management and ground handling. Whilst there are general GATS provisions
which may be of relevance to airport ownership and management and ground handling
services, and a specific annex of the GATS that governs air transport services, we understand
from discussions with the WTO that there is no agreement among Members on the precise
scope of application of the GATS (and air transport annex) to airport ownership and
management and ground handling.
3.42 The Annex on Air transport services specifically excludes traffic rights and services directly
related to traffic from the agreement, and states that it applies only to measures affecting the
following areas:
3.43 Airport ownership and management and ground handling are not mentioned, which is the
source of the disagreement. Some Members argue that ground handling and airport
management services (covering ownership and management) are not activities directly
relating to traffic rights so are therefore covered by the GATS. Other states argue against it.
10
TPP Final Text, Chapter 10 Cross-Border Trade in Services, https://ustr.gov/sites/default/files/TPP-
Final-Text-Cross-Border-Trade-in-Services.pdf, Accessed 8 February 2016
June 2016 | 15
We understand that the only way to resolve this would be for a formal dispute to be launched
within the WTO, so that a panel could be established to decide.
3.44 If it is found/decided that the GATS do not cover airport management services and ground
handling services, then the market access, national treatment and MFN principles do not apply
to these services. Conversely if they are found to be covered by the GATS, then the provisions
would in principle all apply, along with the rest of the agreement.
3.45 There is no timeline for a decision to be made on the matter, although recent agreement in
this area on the Trans-Pacific Partnership indicates that a resolution may be possible. Until
then, the applicability of the GATS to airport ownership and management and ground handling
remains unclear.
June 2016 | 16
Bilateral frameworks
3.46 In this section we examine the relevant EU-level trade and aviation agreements between the
EU and the selected non-EU countries and identify any provisions relating to airport ownership
and management and ground handling.
3.47 The two sets of bilateral agreements we reviewed are:
 Air Service Agreements, which cover many aspects of international air services including
traffic rights, fair competition, ownership, safety, and security; and
 Trade Agreements, which are more general and varied in scope, and aim to remove trade
and investment barriers which apply to many sectors including aviation.
Air Service Agreements
3.48 Of the 10 non-EU countries in scope, the EU currently has comprehensive Air Service
Agreements (ASAs) with Morocco and the USA, with Brazil under renegotiation. The European
Commission has requested authorisation to begin negotiations with several countries; from
our in-scope list this includes the UAE (via a mandate for the Gulf Cooperation Council States),
the Philippines (via a mandate for the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) States),
China, Mexico, and Turkey. On 7 June 2016 the Council approval negotiating authorisations in
respect to ASEAN, Qatar, UAE and Turkey. Authorisation to negotiate an aviation safety
agreements with Japan and China have also been obtained from the Council11.
3.49 The provisions relevant to airport ownership and management and ground handling in the
existing comprehensive ASAs (i.e. for Morocco, the USA, and Brazil) are summarised below.
Brazil
3.50 The EU-Brazil comprehensive ASA was finalised with Brazil in March 2011, however as noted
above, final agreement and signature is pending and the agreement is under renegotiation.
The information presented in this section is based on the text agreed in March 2011.
3.51 The EU-Brazil comprehensive ASA12 does not contain any provisions regarding ownership or
management of airports. Provisions on commercial opportunities and inward investment, in
Articles 9 and 10 respectively, refer only to air carriers.
3.52 The agreement does contain provisions on ground handling, although these do not contain
any requirements for competition in the ground handling market. Article 9.6 states that each
air carrier has ‘the right to perform its own ground-handling or select among competing
suppliers’, but ‘only where such suppliers are allowed market access on the basis of the laws
and regulations of each Party’.
Morocco
3.53 The EU-Morocco comprehensive ASA13 does not contain any provisions regarding ownership
or management of airports. Provisions on commercial opportunities and inward investment, in
11
European Commission press release, http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-16-
661_en.htm?locale=EN, accessed April 2016
12
European Commission press release, http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-11-327_en.htm,
accessed February 2016
June 2016 | 17
any requirements for competition in the ground handling market. Article 9.3 states each air
carrier has ‘the right to perform its own ground-handling services…or select among competing
suppliers’, but only where ‘such suppliers are allowed market access on the basis of the laws
and regulations of each Contracting Party’.
USA
3.55 The EU-USA Air Transport Agreement14 does not contain any provisions regarding ownership
or management of airports. Provisions on commercial opportunities and inward investment, in
any requirements for competition in the ground handling market. Article 10.3 states each air
carrier has ‘the right to perform its own ground-handling services…or select among competing
suppliers’, but only where ‘such suppliers are allowed market access on the basis of the laws
and regulations of each Party’.
Trade Agreements
3.57 The EU is in the process of negotiating bilateral trade and investment agreements with several
of the selected non-countries; but currently only has preferential trade agreements in place
with Mexico, Morocco and Turkey. Table 3.3 summarises the bilateral trade agreement status
between the EU and the selected non-EU countries.
Table 3.3: Bilateral Trade Agreement status for the non-EU countries in scope
Country EU Trade Agreement Status

USA Currently negotiating trade agreement.
Brazil Currently negotiating trade agreement with Mercosur*-
China (PRC) Currently negotiating investment agreement.
India No specific agreement.
Japan Currently negotiating trade agreement.
Mexico Bilateral agreement.
Morocco Association agreement.
Philippines Currently negotiating trade agreement.
Turkey Customs union agreement.
UAE No specific agreement.
*A sub-regional South American trading bloc
Source: DG TRADE
3.58 The provisions relevant to airport ownership and management and ground handling in the
trade agreements in place with Mexico, Morocco and Turkey are summarised below.
Mexico
3.59 The EU and Mexico have had an Economic Partnership, Political Coordination and Cooperation
Agreement15 for trade in goods and services since it entered into force separately in 2000 and
2001 respectively.
13
L386/57 Euro-Mediterranean Aviation Agreement 29.12.2006
14
L134/4 Air transport Agreement 25.5.2007, amended by L223/3 Protocol 25.8.2010
June 2016 | 18
3.60 The trade in services agreement excludes all air services and related activities in support of air
services with the exception of the three areas included in the GATS Annex on Air Transport,
namely aircraft maintenance and repair, selling and marketing of air transport services, and
CRS services. The prohibition on any limitations on foreign shareholding (Article 4), therefore,
is not applicable to airport ownership and management and ground handling, and the WTO
commitments on this hold.
Morocco
3.61 The EU and Morocco have had an Association Agreement16 since 2000 and are currently
negotiating a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement17.
3.62 The agreement does not contain any provisions relating to foreign capital; the only notable
reference to investment flows in the Association Agreement is in Article 50, which states ‘the
aim of cooperation shall be to create a favourable climate for flows of investment’. Airports
are only briefly referred to within the context of restructuring and modernising transport
infrastructure of ‘common interest’ to facilitate economic cooperation.
Turkey
3.63 The EU has had a Customs Union agreement18 with Turkey since 1995. The agreement is
concerned primarily with removal of trade barriers and does not make any reference to
airports or foreign capital flows.
Conclusion
3.64 The bilateral aviation agreements the EU has with Brazil, Morocco and the USA contain very
few provisions relating to airport management, ownership and ground handling. None of the
three ASAs mention airport ownership or management, and although all agreements contain
provisions relating to ground handling, these only relate to access to services for air carriers.
3.65 Likewise, the bilateral trade agreements with Mexico, Morocco and Turkey contain little
relating to airport management, ownership and ground handling. The trade agreements with
Turkey and Morocco contain no meaningful provisions relating to airports or foreign
investments, and although the trade agreement with Mexico does contain rules prohibiting
limitations on foreign shareholding, it does not make any reference to airports specifically.
15
L157/10 Decision 2/2000 of the EC-Mexico Joint Council 23.3.2000 & L70/7 Decision No 2/2001 of the
EU-Mexico Joint Council 27.2.2001
16
L 70/2 Euro-Mediterranean Agreement 18.3.2000
17
European Commission press release, http://trade.ec.europa.eu/doclib/press/index.cfm?id=888,
accessed February 2016
18
Decision No 1/95 OF The EC-Turkey Association Council of 22.12.1995 (96/142/EC)
June 2016 | 19
4 International trends
Introduction
4.1 This section reviews the historical trends and likely future development around the world of
airport ownership and management, as well as of ground handling operations.
Airport ownership
Historical trends
4.2 Airports traditionally formed part of the public sector, being originally built either by national,
regional or local governments. Consistent with this, airport management was traditionally
undertaken by the state, either directly or through a bespoke public sector civil aviation
administration. Over the last four decades, since the 1980s, there has been progressive
movement globally towards both:
 Commercialisation and corporatisation of airport management; and
 Private sector involvement.
4.3 Through corporatisation, airport management moved from state-run administrations towards
the more typical commercial corporate structures often found in the private sector, such as a
limited company or public corporation with shareholders. Ownership of such corporatised
airports could, however, remain with the state, for example through the state being the owner
of 100% of the airport corporation's shares. However, such corporatisation facilitated the
introduction of a more commercial style of management, with a focus on increasing revenues
and reducing costs (and in some cases, the removal of staff's civil service-type employment
privileges).
4.4 In some cases, corporatisation also facilitated the involvement of the private sector, through
sales of the airport corporation to investors via (often) trade sales or (less frequently) public
offerings.
4.5 Private sector involvement has been introduced at a growing number of airports over the last
few decades, motivated by the:
 Opportunity to raise funds for the public sector through the sale of the asset;
 Increased efficiency of operation assumed to be achieved in the private sector (an
extension of the corporatisation approach); and
 Opportunity to support investment in airport infrastructure: adding terminals, runways
and other airport facilities, thereby improving the transport assets of the country
concerned without recourse to public funds.
4.6 Private sector involvement can take a number of different forms, ranging from:
June 2016 | 20
 Outright sale of the airport asset to the private sector or a part sale of shares in the
airport company, but with the state retaining some control through the imposition of
licence conditions or price control;
 Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) Concession, usually a long term agreement which involves
expansion of the infrastructure, in return for sole rights to operate and the rights to raise
revenues. As with management contracts and operating concessions described below the
private sector is given responsibility for part or all of the airports operations and shares
the profit, financing and construction risks with the public sector depending upon the type
of contract / concession;
 Time-limited operating concession of the airport, often involving the concessionaire
taking an equity stake in the airport and retaining revenues for a fixed period (such as 30
years), and the state retaining ownership of the airport land (and often the imposition of
conditions such as minimum investment requirements and/or payment of a revenue
share to the state). Key difference between concession and management contract (below)
is that the concession often involves taking an equity stake, whereas no equity stake is
involved for management contracts;
 Concessions for a part of the airport, such as a terminal, with the remaining infrastructure
being run by the state;
 Management contracts, where a private sector body operates the airport for a fixed
period (e.g. 10 years), but does not take an equity stake or make a significant financial
investment and may be remunerated through a fee payment to cover costs, rather than
taking revenues;
 Project finance, where the private sector finances and delivers construction of a facility
(such as a terminal) then transferred to the state in return for a share of revenues;
 Private sector investment, e.g. through purchase of a minority share of an airport
corporation, with management remaining with the state.
4.7 As airports have, in the vast majority of cases, begun their lives within the public sector, the
extent to which the private sector has become involved and its particular form vary greatly
between different countries, depending on the needs, financial situation, legal arrangements
and political outlook of the governments of those countries.
Throughout this report we have been asked to distinguish between airport ‘ownership’ and
airport ‘management’. In
June 2016 | 21
4.8 Table 4.1 we allocate the typical arrangements observed, with examples, to the two
categories. Where the sale of shares in the operating company is combined with a time limited
concession agreement we allocate this to the airport ownership category.
June 2016 | 22
Table 4.1: Attribution of circumstances to airport ownership or airport management
Category Key criteria Examples

Airport ownership Permanent transfer of shareholding Sale of 100% shares in Heathrow,
in the company. Gatwick and Stansted airports in
Permanent transfer of ownership of the UK.
the assets of the company
Airport Management Operation of an asset (limited in Management contract to run a
time). terminal for a time limited period
Right to raise revenues from the (e.g. Indianapolis, USA
asset (limited in time). Leasing arrangements for terminal
buildings/ gates in USA
Sale of 49.9% shares in the
operating company at Toulouse
Operating concession (e.g. Turkey)
Sale of 51% of shares in Brazilian
airports (Guarulhos, Viracopos,
Brasilia, Galeao, and Confins)
combined with a 25-30 years
concession period.
Build Operate Transfer Concession
(e.g. Turkey)
Provision of project financing
Source: Steer Davies Gleave analysis
Current situation
4.9 There remain some important jurisdictions where many airports remain in the public sector
with a public sector style of administration:
 In the United States, most airports remain in the public sector under the administration of
the City or County in which it is located;
 In Canada, most airports are owned by Transport Canada, with a more locally based
administrator;
 In France, where a large number of regional airports remain under public administration;
 In India, where apart from five important privatised airports (see below), the remaining
airports are run by the Airports Authority of India;
 The main Gulf airports: Dubai International, Abu Dhabi International and Doha Hamad
International; and
 Airports in a diverse range of countries such as Israel and Sri Lanka.
4.10 However, corporatisation of airport administration is widespread at airports which remain in
the public sector, or which have majority public sector ownership and hence control, reflecting
a general move away from pure public administration. Important examples include:
 Several major airports in several European countries, including France, Germany, the
Netherlands, Spain and Italy, all involving a mixture of public and private sector ownership
but public sector control.
 In France, Aéroports de Paris has majority public ownership but is run on a fully
commercial basis; a process of part-privatisation of regional airports is underway,
with Toulouse already placed under a concession agreement and similar processes at
Nice and Lyon ongoing.
June 2016 | 23
 In Germany, Frankfurt is corporatised with majority public ownership while Munich
and the Berlin airports are corporatised with full public sector ownership; Düsseldorf
and Hamburg have close to equal private and public ownership.
 In Italy, most airports are corporatised with majority public ownership, but the
private sector has majority ownership at the Rome airports, Naples and Venice.
 In Spain, AENA, which manages all the major Spanish airports: 49% of its share capital
was sold in 2015 to private sector investors.
 Guangzhou and Shanghai Pudong airports in China are owned by corporations with a
majority of public ownership but also some private investors.
 The main airports in Thailand are owned by a public company with 70% public sector
ownership and 30% by private investors.
4.11 Private sector involvement in airport ownership and management is now widespread. In
addition to fully private investors, many of the major "corporatised" airport groups with
significant or majority public sector in their home country act as entirely private sector
investors in foreign markets, often in partnership with financial institutions or investment
funds. Aéroports de Paris (owner of the Paris airports) and Fraport (owner of Frankfurt airport)
are good examples of this. Five major airports in India are run as PPPs - Delhi (operated by
GMR and Fraport), Mumbai (GVK), Hyderabad (GMR), Bangalore (GVK, Siemens, and Zurich
Airport) and Cochin (Non-resident Indians); all have minority public sector ownership.
4.12 Table 4.2 shows some of the major private sector, or quasi-private sector airport ownership
groups, together with the airports in which they have interests. Not all interests are majority
e.g. ADPM have shares in Amman but they do not have direct control and may indeed not be
the largest shareholder.
Table 4.2: Major airport investment groups
Ownership Group Current airports (2015/2016) – non-exhaustive list

Aéroports de Paris Paris airports (Orly, Charles de Gaulle, Le Bourget), Santiago de Chile (preferred
bidder), Amman, Zagreb, Jeddah (Hajj Terminal)), and airports in Mauritius, Guinea.
Part owner of Grupo Aeroportario Centro Norte, Mexico (Acapulco, Chihuahua,
Ciudad Juarez, Culiacan, Durango, Zihuatanejo, Mazatlan, Monterrey, Reynosa, San
Luis Potosi, Tampico, Torreon, Zacatecas) and TAV holdings, Turkey (see below).
AviAlliance (owned by Athens, Budapest, Tirana, Düsseldorf and Hamburg. Shares in Sydney transferred to
PSP Investments) PSP in 2013.
Corporación América S.A. Airports in Argentina (Bahia Blanca, Buenos Aires - Aeroparque, Buenos Aires -
Ezeiza, Catamarca, Comodoro Rivadavia, Cordoba, Esquel, Formosa, General Pico,
Jujuy, La Rioja, Mar del Plata, Malargue, Mendoza, Parana, Posadas, Puerto Iguazu,
Puerto Madryn, Neuquen, Reconquista, Resistencia, Rio Cuarto, Rio Gallegos, Rio
Grande San Carlos de Bariloche, Salta, San Fernando, San Juan, San Luis, San Rafael,
Santa Rosa, Santiago del Estero, Tacuman, Viedma and Villa Reynolds), Brazil
(Brasilia, Rio Grande do Norte), Ecuador (Baltra Galapogos, Guayaquil), Peru
(Arequipa, Ayachucho, Juliaca, Puerto Maldonado and Tacna), Uruguay (Montevideo,
Punta del Este), Armenia (Yerevan) and Italy (Florence, Pisa and Trapani).
Changi airports Airports in Singapore (Changi and Selatar), Brazil (Rio de Janeiro - Galeao) and Russia
(Anapa, Krasnodar, Sochi)
Ferrovial Aeropuertos London Heathrow; in addition - Glasgow, Aberdeen and Southampton (with
Macquarie).
Fraport Frankfurt, Hannover, St Petersburg (Russia), Ljubljana (Slovenia), Greek regional
airports (concession agreement signed, undergoing transitional arrangements with
Financial Close due in late 2016),Bulgaria (Burgas and Varna), China, (Xian), Peru
(Lima), India (New Delhi), Saudi Arabia (Riyadh), Turkey (Antalya).
June 2016 | 24
Ownership Group Current airports (2015/2016) – non-exhaustive list
Global Infrastructure Gatwick, Edinburgh, London City (ownership transitioning to consortium led by
Partners (GIP) Ontario Teachers).
Hermes Airport group Cyprus (Larnaca and Paphos)
IFM Manchester Airports Group (Manchester, Stansted, East Midlands, Bournemouth),
Vienna, Malta.
Macquarie Brussels, Copenhagen, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Southampton.
Ontario Teachers Bristol, Birmingham, Brussels and Copenhagen.
TAV Airports Holdings Istanbul Atatürk, Ankara Esenboga, Izmir Adnan Menderes, Milas-Bodrum and
Gazipasa-Alanya airports in Turkey, Tbilisi and Batumi Airports in Georgia, Monastir
and Enfidha-Hammamet Airports in Tunisia, Skopje and Ohrid Airports in
Macedonia, and Medina in Saudi Arabia.
Vantage airport group Airports in Canada, West Indies, Cyprus.
Vinci Portuguese airports (formerly ANA), Santiago de Chile (preferred bidder with
Aeroports de Paris and Astaldi), Cambodian airports, eleven regional airports in
France including Nantes Atlantique, Kansai and Osaka International Airports(Japan),
MoUs for Mashhad and Isfahan Airports in Iran.
Flughafen Zürich AG Zurich Airport, Confins International Airport in Belo Horizonte (Brazil); Bangalore
International Airport Ltd. (India, 5%); majority stake in A-port Operaciones S.A.
through which Flughafen Zürich AG has indirect stakes in Antofagasta and Iquique in
Chile; Curacao Airport; advisory services for the operation of up to eleven airports in
Kazakhstan; technical services agreement with the concessionaire of Bogotá’s main
El Dorado airport.
4.13 As a consequence of this trend towards private sector participation, 15% of airports around
the world are fully privatised, 18% are in public-private partnership with the remaining 67% in
public ownership. However, the privatised or commercialised airports now account for 50% of
airport passenger traffic19. This fact reflects the economics of airports, where greater
passenger throughput generates higher revenue opportunities, both for aeronautical revenues
(paid by airlines for use of airfield and terminal facilities at the airport) and non-aeronautical
revenues (generated from passengers and other businesses' expenses). While capital and
operating costs are to some extent scalable to volumes, there is a certain minimum
infrastructure and operational requirement for safe operation of an airport, so that
profitability is, in principle, likely to have higher potential at airports above a certain minimum
size (a commonly applied marker is airports above one to five million passengers p.a.). It is the
enhanced profitability of airports with volumes above this indicative threshold which has
enticed private sector interest.
4.14 The influence of the private sector, at both commercialised/corporatised and majority private
ownership airports, has also led to greater efforts to increase the level of non-aeronautical
revenues, typically comprising commercial revenues from retail outlets, car parking, and
property rentals and development. While there is very wide variation between airports of all
types of ownership structures, there is a tendency for a higher proportion of non-aeronautical
revenues at more commercialised airports, compared with those run by the public sector.
However, this relationship is also affected by other factors, including the regulatory regime
applicable to airport charges and the potential for commercial revenues, which varies
dependent on factors such as the nature of the traffic, and the space available for commercial
19
Airline Leader, Issue 32, Jan-Feb 2016
June 2016 | 25
outlets, with international airports likely to generate higher per passenger sales than airports
dominated by domestic traffic.
Map of private ownership in airports
4.15 Figure 4.1 overleaf draws on the Air Transport Research Society’s 2015 Airport Benchmarking
Report and Steer Davies Gleave research undertaken for the 10 non-EU countries in scope for
this study to provide an overview of the ownership and management of the world’s major
airports (State or private involvement). The ATRS report has minimal coverage of the African
and South American continents.
June 2016 | 26
Figure 4.1: Map of selected major airports showing private sector involvement (in either ownership or management)*
*This map is not comprehensive. It shows major airports as published in the ATRS Airport Benchmarking Report as well as the major airports reported in the case studies in this report.
The ATRS report, for example, has minimal coverage of the African and South American continents.
Source: Air Transport Research Society, Airport Benchmarking Report – 2015, Steer Davies Gleave analysis
June 2016 | 27
Future trends
4.16 The existing trends towards greater private sector involvement are expected to continue, but
with significant variation between jurisdictions. The private sector is now also sufficiently large
and mature that an important part of transactions are likely to be sales of shares between
private sector entities, in addition to financing and refinancing transactions. Looking at the
various regions of the world, the expected trends are outlined below.
4.17 In Europe, there continues to be some movement towards additional private sector
involvement, including:
 The ongoing programme of sales of stakes of French regional airports, with Toulouse
already sold to a Chinese investor (minority stake) and sales of Nice and Lyon in process
(majority stakes);
 In Greece, the sale of 14 regional airports has been agreed and is in the process of
financing; a potential new airport at Kastelli in Crete is also being considered, and
widening of the private sector involvement in Athens;
 In Turkey several airports are seeking private sector investment, including the new third
airport at Istanbul, along with Dalaman and Bodrum;
 The privatisation of the main airports in Lithuania is under consideration; and
 The privatisation of Belgrade airport in Serbia is also under consideration.
4.18 There are also a number of secondary sales in airports ongoing including the recent sale of
London City Airport and a process in Rome.
4.19 In North America, full privatisation continues to be very rare, despite the recent sale of a
concession for San Juan airport in Puerto Rico. Private finance for parts of airport
infrastructure are more common, with the construction of a new terminal at New York's La
Guardia airport, a new terminal at Des Moines, Iowa, an automated people mover at Los
Angeles and terminal enhancements at Denver. In Canada, the terminal at Billy Bishop airport
in Toronto is being transferred to the private sector.
4.20 In Latin America, important developments include:
 Construction of a new airport for Mexico City;
 The continuing programme of privatisation of Brazilian airports, following the concessions
of airports in Sao Paulo and Brasilia and then at Rio de Janeiro and Belo Horizonte:
currently the four airports at Florianopolis, Fortaleza, Porto Alegre and Salvador are in the
preliminary stages of a sale process; there is also consideration of selling a stake in the
state airport operator Infraero to the private sector and also moves to concession smaller
GA and cargo-oriented facilities;
 In Chile, the new concession of Santiago airport is close to being finalised, while a series of
tenders for other airports has been launched;
 In Colombia, a number of concessions are under consideration, including airports at
Bogota (El Dorado), Barranquilla, Armenia, Popoayán and Neiva; and
 Other privatisation or secondary sales of airports in Ecuador and Paraguay.
4.21 In China, Haikou Melian airport is being expanded and a programme to introduce seven
airport PPP schemes was launched in June 2015.
4.22 In India, a programme of privatisation has periodically stopped and restarted, following the
earlier concessioning of Delhi and Mumbai airports, as well as private sector involvement at
Hyderabad, Bangalore and Cochin. A process of privatisation was started at Chennai, Jaipur,
June 2016 | 28
Kolkota and Ahmedabad, but then postponed by the new Modi government in 2014. It was
restarted it at the beginning of 2015 but was then cancelled again later in the year. Part of the
reason for this was the very large increases in aeronautical charges introduced at Delhi and
Mumbai, which resulted in a negative report from the Comptroller and Auditor General of
India and reducing support from airlines. However, processes to develop greenfield airports at
Goa Mopa and Navi Mumbai are continuing. There are potential risks to these processes
although most recent indications are that they are going ahead.
4.23 In Japan, a major programme of privatisation is underway. Osaka and Kansai airports have
started operating as a concession as of April 2016, and Sendai’s concession operation is due to
start in July 2016. Other airports which are being considered for the programme include
Fukuoka, Hiroshima, New Chitose (bundled with smaller airports on the island of Hokkaido),
and Takamatsu.
4.24 In other parts of Asia and the Middle East, programmes for the privatisation of airports in the
Philippines and Vietnam (airport terminal at Hanoi and Phu Quoc airport) have been launched,
with the government of Vietnam recently agreeing to sell 166 million shares to Aeroports de
Paris which will become a strategic investor in the country’s airports. In Myanmar there are
plans to enlarge Mandalay Airport and to build a new airport outside Yangon. Indonesia has
plans to privatise some of its outlying airports. In Saudi Arabia, Madinah airport has already
been privatised under a BOT concession, while the operation and maintenance of the new
International terminal at Jeddah is to be concessioned, with the Saudi government also
developing plans for the privatisation of Riyadh and Damman airports. The government of Iran
has signed MoU’s with French groups Aeroports de Paris/Bouygues Batiments and VINCI
Airports for the redevelopment of airports in Tehran, Mashhad and Isfahan.
4.25 In Africa, private sector involvement has been relatively slow, partly due to the relatively low
traffic volumes outside South Africa and the North African states (where airports have been
privatised in Egypt and Tunisia). There are airport operating concessions, but involving
relatively low capital investment, at Lagos's domestic terminal and in francophone countries
including Ivory Coast and Gabon. The concession for Madagascar's main airports has now
reached the preferred bidder stage. A new airport in Rwanda and a new terminal at Nairobi
airport in Kenya are being progressed through Chinese investment, but it is unclear if these
will actually come to fruition.
4.26 One more general feature of the trend towards commercialisation and privatisation of airports
is that different countries have chosen to adopt different strategies in relation to which
airports are included:
 Some countries have chosen to maximise returns by privatising the most attractive
airports (generally hubs or those with the largest traffic base), but this can have the effect
of leaving the remaining, smaller airports, under state management and, potentially, loss-
making due to their smaller size. This applies to many countries including Brazil and India.
 In contrast, other countries have sought to privatise a national airport operator as a
whole, or privatising groups of airports. Examples of this include AENA in Spain and ANA
in Portugal, and to a lesser extent the recent sale of 14 Greek airports (however, this
excludes the prime asset, Athens, which was sold separately) and the groupings of
airports in Mexico (which excluded Mexico City).
June 2016 | 29
Airport management
4.27 Styles of airport management are often driven to some extent by the ownership structure (but
also the regulatory regime, as discussed below). Where airports are run from entirely within
the public sector, the management style may be somewhat bureaucratic, with the emphasis
on conformity to regulation, and at times can be used as a tool for social policy through
employment and less focus on either revenue generation or cost control.
4.28 Conversely, the introduction of commercialisation or corporatisation was to a significant
extent motivated to improve the airports' commercial performance. Consequently,
management at commercialised airports, whether ultimately controlled by the private or
public sector, tends to focus on enhanced revenue generation through improved commercial
revenue generation, for example through a better retail offer and an airport layout designed
to encourage passengers to spend time and money in retail outlets. In addition, such
management generally attempts to manage operating costs through reducing in-house
workforces and using methods such as outsourcing and competitive tendering. Private
operators also frequently improve airport performance with respect to service quality, as
minimum levels of service may be written into concession contracts or regulatory oversight
requirements, with financial penalties for missing targets.
4.29 It is notable that many airport owning groups include a combination of airport operators and
private investors, reflecting winning consortium from the bidding process for a concession, as
well as, in many cases, a residual public sector interest. The airport operators within the
owning groups tend to be responsible for the management of the airport, with the private
sector investors focusing on providing finance and achieving good returns.
4.30 In some cases, private sector involvement is largely limited to managing the airport operation,
either as a management contract or with a concession requiring relatively little capital
investment. This is an approach which has been used in Africa (e.g. at Abidjan), where in many
cases the size of the airport does not justify significant upfront capital investment, but where
improved management is urgently needed.
4.31 However, in many cases, airport concessions have been established where an important
condition for bidders for the concession is to commit to very significant capital expenditure,
this being the rationale of the process from the public sector side. Examples include the
privatised airports in India and Brazil, where airport expansion and service quality
improvement were key objectives of the governments. In India the results have been dramatic
in terms of the improved passenger experience, though it is also noteworthy that aeronautical
charges have increased significantly - a fact which is thought to explain, together with the
discontent and subsequent lobbying of airlines, that the momentum towards further
privatisation in India has slowed down.
4.32 Another important aspect of airport management is the applicable regulatory regime. In all
countries there is a safety and security regime to which airports are subject and even in the
case of airports fully within the public sector, the regulatory authority is often a separate
organisation. However, this separation is not always perfect and creating a proper licensing
regime for safety can be part of the motivation for a more corporatised management structure
for airports. Where airports have private sector involvement, such separation of operator and
safety regulator is almost universal.
4.33 More significant variation is found in the economic regulation to which airports are often
subject. Where airports are wholly managed within the public sector, there may be felt to be
June 2016 | 30
no need to protect the economic interests of airport users (i.e. principally airlines and, by
extension, airlines' customers, the passengers). However, as the separation of airport
management from the state increases, there may be an increasing need for economic
regulation.
4.34 In most cities there is only one significant airport. Where there are multiple airports serving a
city, it is very frequently the case that the airports are owned by the same organisation,
whether private or public sector (as for example in both Paris and New York). Airports which
directly compete for traffic in the locality are rare, with London being the most obvious
example, with Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted all owned by different organisations following
the enforced sale of Gatwick and Stansted by the UK’s Competition authorities. To some
extent, airports which act as airline hubs do compete, since they provide alternative routeings
for passengers between pairs of airports which do not themselves have good direct
connections, and this can exert a downwards pressure on prices. However, for the local
markets served, there might be a need for a legal framework on the airport charges requested
from airlines.
4.35 For this reason, regulation of aeronautical revenues is common place where airports are
privately owned, and often also the case when acting as corporatised entities with a mixture
of public and private ownership. The way prices which airports can charge for use of facility
are calculated can take a number of different forms, but there are two broad applicable
approaches:
 Dual till, where only aeronautical revenues (i.e. those paid by airlines for use of the airport
facilities, runways and terminals), cost and assets are regulated, with commercial
revenues, costs and assets from other sources freely set; and
 Single till, where aeronautical revenues are regulated taking into account the non-
aeronautical revenues of the airport and total costs and assets of the airport.
4.36 In a dual till regime, it is necessary to separate out both capital and operating costs which are
related to the operation of the airport as an aeronautical facility. The regulation then
considers what level of charges is sufficient to allow these costs to be funded (with an
adequate return to investors). In a single till regime, all operating costs and assets are in scope,
and the level of expected commercial revenues are taken into account when assessing the
level of aeronautical charges which would generate sufficient revenues (when added to the
commercial revenues) to cover the full costs of the airport.
4.37 It is noteworthy that IATA, the airline association, supports single till regulation20, because, in
its view, the benefits of commercial revenues at airports especially those generated by
airlines' passengers are, to some extent, shared with the airlines (the higher the commercial
revenues, the less needs to be recovered from airlines through airport charges).
4.38 Under either approach, it is necessary to assess:
 The efficient level of operating costs;
 The appropriate level of capital investment;
 The appropriate level of return on capital (e.g. the riskiness of the business and hence the
appropriate risk factor or beta applicable to a risk-free rate of return); and
20
IATA, Single Till, https://www.iata.org/policy/Documents/single-till.pdf, Accessed 4 February 2016
June 2016 | 31
 The expected level of traffic growth (i.e. the number of flights or passengers over whom
the aeronautical charges will be spread to generate the allowable aeronautical revenues).
4.39 In the case of dual-till regulation, it is also necessary to determine which operating costs and
capital expenditure can appropriately be allocated to aeronautical uses of the facilities; for
single-till regulation, it is necessary to determine the expected level of commercial revenues.
4.40 It should be clear that all of these factors are open to different interpretation. This has a
tendency to lead to a process requiring significant data-gathering by airports and assessment
by airlines, as well as a degree of economic expertise in both parties. The level of
sophistication varies under different regimes, but an important factor is the level of certainty
about the likely allowed trajectory of charges. To the extent that this is considered both
predictable and adequate by the private sector, this facilitates the involvement in the private
sector and the willingness to provide funds. In contrast, where there appears to be uncertainty
about the regulatory approach, this can make it difficult to reach an appropriate settlement.
Ground handling
4.41 The ground handling market, as defined in EU Directive 96/67 covers a range of services
including:
 Passenger handling: assistance with tickets, travel documents and baggage, etc.;
 Baggage handling: in the sorting and reclaim area;
 Ramp handling: marshalling, aircraft parking, engine start, food and beverage loading;
 Cargo handling: freight and mail documentation review, customs;
 Fuel and oil handling: fuelling and its storage; and
 Other services including:
 Ground administration and supervision;
 Aircraft services;
 Aircraft maintenance;
 Surface transport: between terminal and to aircraft;
 Catering services; and
 Flight operation and crew administration.
4.42 The global market for ground handling is estimated as having a value of €70 - €90 billion per
year21. The market is commonly served by one or a combination of:
 Self-handling by the airlines;
 Airport's own ground handling company; and/or
 Third party, independent ground handling companies.
4.43 Each country and airport has different rules and processes for market entry. Some of this is
related to available infrastructure on the ramp and in the terminal - for example in the United
States airlines often own or control the terminal and gate infrastructure, however a
competitive third party ground handling market has still existed in the USA for a number of
years. IATA estimates that up to 50% of ground handling services globally are outsourced to
third parties. In the US, some 65% of the market is serviced through the main airlines (United,
Delta, Southwest and American) own ground handling companies.
21
CAPA, CAPA article, 20 November 2014, Accessed 4 February 2016
June 2016 | 32
4.44 Traditionally, ground handling was provided by local based airlines or airports, however
liberalisation has facilitated greater market access and some consolidation. A number of the
third party independent ground handling companies are businesses working across the globe;
there has been a trend to consolidation in the industry reflecting the commoditised and low
margin nature of the business, but also a way to provide market access to restricted markets
where barriers to entry still exist. These include:
 HNA Group/Swissport: A global ground handling company, which often ties into local
markets with joint ventures e.g. recently in Mexico and has undertaken a number of
acquisitions (most recently Servisair). HNA Group a Chinese company acquisition of
Swissport from European private equity firm PAI Partners.;
 DNATA: part of the Emirates group providing ground handling services across five
continents, grown through consolidation and acquisition;
 Aircraft Service International Group (ASIG): strong in the US and Canada;
 Menzies Aviation: worldwide coverage;
 Aviapartner: a Europe-wide provider; and
 Celebi: Turkish based but for example acquiring the Austrian part of Fraport and therefore
having operations in Europe.
4.45 There are also a number of smaller companies concentrating in certain geographies for
example Aviator in Europe and SATA in South America.
4.46 As an indication of the spread of the larger ground handling organisations data for 2011 and
2015/2016 is presented in the table below. These demonstrate that there are a few large
companies operating worldwide, although there remain a large number of niche operators
working at only a few airports, as well as the airlines who undertake self-handling.
Table 4.3: Ground handling stations by company (2011 and 2015/2016)
Operator Stations (2011) Stations (current)

Swissport/Servisair 316 290
Menzies 136 149
WFS-Aviapartner 155 145
SATS (Singapore) 10 30
DNATA (Dubai) 18 58
Fraport 13 n/a
Celebi 35 36
Source: KPMG presentation quoted in CAPA article, 20 Nov 2014, Company annual reports and websites. Swissport
and Servisair data have been combined reflecting their subsequent merger
4.47 Revenues for a number of these companies are provided in the table below for 2014.
Table 4.4: Ground handling revenues by company (calendar or FY 2014)
Revenues EUR $m
Operator
(2014 or FY 2013/14)
Swissport/Servisair 2,352
DNATA 2,256
SATS 560*
Menzies 2,762
June 2016 | 33
Revenues EUR $m
Operator
(2014 or FY 2013/14)
Celebi 221
*for gateway services only
Source: KPMG presentation quoted in CAPA article, 20 Nov 2014, Company annual reports.
4.48 Restrictions on market entry can either be regulatory (for example reciprocal self-handling in
the bilateral Air Service Agreement), infrastructure related or designed to protect local or
airport company ground handling operations. A variety of approaches are used worldwide.
4.49 In a European Context, EU Directive 96/67 opens access to the market for groundhandling
services at airports with more than two million passengers per annum. At the same time, it
allows Member States to limit the number of providers for certain categories at these airports,
however, not to less than two ground handling providers. One of these providers needs to be
an independent handler (not the airport operator or airline with more than 25% of traffic at
the airport).
4.50 Consolidation in the industry is therefore likely to continue to develop, driven by economies of
scale. However, because equipment needs to be located at a single airport, it may continue to
be cost-effective for smaller well-established operators to dominate in particular markets.
Therefore, consolidation is likely to be patchy and to develop at different rates in different
countries and airport groups.
4.51 The market has also developed ways for addressing the issue of equipment location. At some
airports, ground handling equipment such as tugs, tractors and buses are shared across a
number of ground handling companies. In others the equipment is on a short term lease. This
equipment is owned by a third party – for example the TCR Group which claims to be Europe's
leading provider of GSE (Ground Support Equipment) services. This arrangement provides
protection to the ground handling agents when contracts with airlines last for a relatively short
period of time (3 years) and the remuneration of an asset is a longer period than this. Other
examples of these operations include the European Aviation Group.
4.52 The other key driver of trends in the industry continues to be labour representative power.
This has continued to impact the pattern of ground handling services in Europe and at least
partly explains why the major US airlines continue to provide their own self handling services
(often through a subsidiary company) as discussed in the US case study.
Methodology for estimating ground handling market size
4.53 The following chapters present the case studies for the 10 non-EU countries in scope. For each
of the countries, we have estimated the value of the respective national ground handling
markets using OAG traffic data and confidential 2015 market data provided by a stakeholder,
compiled through internal local expertise and complemented by external sources including
internet research and interviews of airport authorities. Turnaround costs were not available
for China and India, so for these countries we have used World Bank purchasing power parity
ratios with the USA to estimate the turnaround cost.
4.54 Estimated market shares and turnaround costs for wide body, narrow body and regional
aircraft were provided for each of the 10 non-EU countries of interest. Market share estimates
were provided for airports with more than 30,000 departing flights per year. Using OAG data
for departures in 2015, we have calculated a weighted average turnaround cost for each
aircraft type and for each country. The total departures from each country and the weighted
June 2016 | 34
average turnaround costs were then used to calculate the estimated total market values for
ground handling in each of the countries.
June 2016 | 35
5 Case study: Brazil
Introduction
5.1 In this chapter we provide an analysis of the airport ownership and management and ground
handling regulatory framework and market information in Brazil.
Context
5.2 Brazil is a South American federative republic composed of 27 federative units (states and
Federal District). It has an area22 of approximately 8.5 million sqm², and in 2014 the population
of Brazil was estimated, by the federal statistics and geography institute (IBGE – Instituto
Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística) as 203.2 million people23.
5.3 According to ANAC (Agência Nacional de Aviação Civil – National Civil Aviation Department) in
2014, 117 million passengers travelled by air in Brazil, of those 95.9 million flew on domestic
flights and 21.3 million on international flights24.
5.4 In the last ten years, the amount of domestic passengers travelling by air more than doubled.
In 2005, only 26.8 paying passengers in every 100 habitants travelled by air, while in 2014 the
number increased to 58.725. According to the same ANAC report, since 2010 air has been the
preferred mode of travel for interstate journeys longer than 75 kilometres, previously the
preference was by road. In 2005 the air mode market share was 34.8% and increased to 63%
by 2014.
5.5 There are three main official agencies responsible for air travel in Brazil:
 SAC – Secretaria de Aviação Civil (Civil Aviation Office): has the role to produce,
coordinate and supervise policies for the development of the air sector. The agency is also
responsible for developing the strategic planning for the sector, defining priorities and
investment programs. It is also responsible for the facilitation of discussion between the
main stakeholders of the sector beyond being the principal point of contact for those
22 th
IBGE – Accessed 15 March 2016 - http://brasilemsintese.ibge.gov.br/territorio/dados-
geograficos.html
23
Pesquisa Nacional por amostra de domicilios – Sítese de indicadores 2014 – IBGE - Accessed 3 March
2016 - http://biblioteca.ibge.gov.br/visualizacao/livros/liv94935.pdf
24
Anuário do transporte aéreo – ANAC – 2014 - Accessed 3 March 2016 -
http://www2.anac.gov.br/estatistica/anuarios.asp
25
Anuário do transporte aéreo – ANAC – 2014 - Accessed 3 March 2016 -
http://www2.anac.gov.br/estatistica/anuarios.asp
June 2016 | 36
players and other levels/sectors of power, such as the Defence Authority for instance,
whenever it is needed26;
 ANAC – Agencia Nacional de Aviação Civil (Brazil Civil Aviation Agency): works as an
independent regulatory body that is responsible to maintain the continuity of the service
in all of the country; it is also a watchdog for passengers/users interests; and finally ANAC
is responsible for applying the legislation of the civil aviation sector 27; and
 Infraero: is the public sector body responsible for the operation of public airports in all of
the national territory28.
5.6 Taking into consideration the demand growth of airport services in recent years and the
necessity of investment in infrastructure, the federal government chose to launch a
concession process in which the private sector could invest and operate key airports, with the
federal government, via Infraero, remaining as a partner. At present there are six passenger
airports operating under concession agreements in Brazil, with a further four currently being
tendered for a future concession process.
5.7 According to SAC, Brazil has 2,463 aerodromes registered by ANAC which are 1,806 private
and 657 public29. Also according to SAC, 65 airports account for over 98% of total passenger
movements in the country. Table 5.1 presents passenger movements in the 20 busiest
airports, the complete table with the other 45 airports that together concentrate 98% of
passengers movements can be found in Annex A.
Table 5.1 Commercial Service airports with highest number of passengers in 2015
Passengers
Rank IATA (code) City Airport name
2015 (Total)
1 GRU Guarulhos – Sao Paulo Guarulhos 38,341,767

2 BSB Brasília Presidente Juscelino Kubitschek 19,576,092
3 CGH São Paulo Congonhas 19,070,150
4 GIG Rio de Janeiro Aeroporto Internacional Tom Jobim 16,651,017
5 CNF Confins Tancredo Neves 11,167,429
6 VCP Campinas Viracopos 10,282,871
7 SDU Rio de Janeiro Santos Dumont 9,685,396
8 SSA Salvador Deputado Luís Eduardo Magalhães 9,087,067
9 POA Porto Alegre Salgado Filho 8,260,330
10 CWB Curitiba Afonso Pena 7,226,765
11 REC Recife Guararapes - Gilberto Freyre 6,998,918
12 FOR Fortaleza Pinto Martins 6,275,646
13 BEL Belém Val de Cans - Julio Cezar Ribeiro 3,662,792
26
SAC – Institucional – Competências – Accessed 6 March 2016 - http://www.aviacao.gov.br/acesso-a-
informacao/institucional/competencias
27
ANAC – Accessed 15 March 2016 - http://www2.anac.gov.br/anac/atribuicoesAnac.asp
28
Infraero – Accessed 15 March - http://www.infraero.gov.br/index.php/br/institucional/a-
infraero.html
29
SAC - Accessed 15 March 2016 - http://www.aviacao.gov.br/assuntos/aeroportos
June 2016 | 37
Passengers
Rank IATA (code) City Airport name
2015 (Total)
14 FLN Florianópolis Hercílio Luz 3,638,825

15 VIX Vitória Eurico de Aguiar Salles 3,419,541
16 MAO Manaus Eduardo Gomes 3,317,947
17 CGB Várzea Grande Marechal Rondon 3,212,395
18 GYN Goiânia Santa Genoveva/Goiânia 3,192,253
19 NAT São Gonçalo do Amarante Governador Aluízio Alves 2,582,766
20 IGU Foz do Iguaçu Cataratas 2,026,341
Source: ANAC (http://www2.anac.gov.br/Estatistica/DadosEstatisticos/dadosestatisticos.asp)
Brazil: Airport ownership

Regulatory situation
5.8 In Brazil the majority of airports are publicly owned and there is no current legislation that
allows private airports to provide services to commercial flights30. Airports owned by the
public sector may be the responsibility of the federal, regional or local government, however
the most important airports (primarily those in state capitals) are under the responsibility of
the federal government.
5.9 Private aerodromes in Brazil primarily serve helicopters, private jets and small chartered
flights. There is currently one airport under construction by the private sector – Sao Paulo
Catarina Executive Airport31, approximately 60 kilometres northwest from São Paulo city
centre, and also preliminary studies for construction of another in Caieiras32 (São Paulo
Metropolitan Area) are underway. Both these airports aim to compete for non-commercial
flights.
5.10 It is important to note that in Brazil, the classification of aerodromes as either public or private
is not necessarily related to the nature of the infrastructure operator; it is possible to have
public aerodromes operated by private initiative and private ones registered by a public body.
The main distinction is the regulatory authority permission to operate, or not, commercial
flights33.
5.11 Federal legislation in Brazil does not permit the permanent outright or partial sale of public
airport assets to the private sector, however a time limited concession agreement, which may
include management, maintenance and operation of the infrastructure, is permitted. To date,
any private investment in Brazilian public airports have been through concession programs, or
30
ANAC website – Accessed 10 March 2016. http://www.anac.gov.br/Area.aspx?ttCD_CHAVE=8
31
JHSF – Accessed 15 March 2016 - http://www.catarinajhsf.com.br/aeroporto
32
Globo – Accessed 15 March 2016 - http://g1.globo.com/economia/noticia/2015/10/ccr-assume-
projeto-para-construir-novo-aeroporto-em-sp.html
33
ANAC – Accessed 23 March 2016 - http://www.anac.gov.br/assuntos/dados-e-estatisticas/aeroportos
June 2016 | 38
amendments to those concession agreements. In all cases the assets must be returned to the
public sector at the end of the concession period34.
5.12 For private aerodromes all construction or modification of areas provided for take-off or
landing or other aircraft movements must be previously authorised by ANAC35. For publically
owned airports, as noted previously, private investment is only allowed through the
concession process.
5.13 In line with our approach to attributing private investment arrangements to ownership or
management as described in chapter 4, paragraph 0, we discuss the concession model
arrangements for Brazilian airports under airport management.
Brazil: Airport management
Overview
5.14 The Brazilian public body responsible for the management of all public airports is Infraero. In
2011, due to growth in passenger demand and the subsequent necessity of additional capacity
though investment in the infrastructure of airports, the federal government launched a
concession program in which some of the most important airports were made available for
private initiative investment and management. The initial airports to be operated under
concessionary agreements were chosen for their importance at national level36 and their
attractiveness to the private sector.
5.15 Six of the 20 busiest airports are now operating through a concession model. Table 5.2lists
those airports that are currently operating under private concession agreements. These
arrangements will be discussed further in the following section.
Table 5.2 Public airports operating under a concession agreement in 2015
Rank IATA (code) City Airport name Passengers 2015 (Total)
1 GRU Guarulhos Guarulhos 38,341,767

2 BSB Brasília Presidente Juscelino Kubitschek 19,576,092
4 GIG Rio de Janeiro Aeroporto Internacional Tom Jobim 16,651,017
5 CNF Confins Tancredo Neves 11,167,429
6 VCP Campinas Viracopos 10,282,871
19 NAT São Gonçalo do Amarante Governador Aluízio Alves 2,582,766
Source: ANAC (http://www2.anac.gov.br/Estatistica/DadosEstatisticos/dadosestatisticos.asp)
34
Jusbrasil – Accessed 15 March 2016 - http://casa-civil.jusbrasil.com.br/noticias/2854329/perguntas-e-
respostas-sobre-a-concessao-de-aeroportos
35
ANAC – Accessed 15 March 2016 - http://www2.anac.gov.br/biblioteca/resolucao/2010/RA2010-
0158.pdf
36
Estadão – Accessed 15 March 2016 - http://economia.estadao.com.br/noticias/geral,governo-
cobrara-investimento-de-aeroportos-privatizados,116108e
June 2016 | 39
Airport concession programme
5.16 In 2010, BNDES (Banco Nacional de Desenvolvimento Econômico e Social) contracted
consultants McKinsey & Company to undertake a comprehensive study on the Brazilian
aviation sector. In the final report37, the following graphic was presented showing the national
airports that most urgently required significant capital investment in the short term (Figure
5.1).
Figure 5.1 Prioritization of airports requiring intervention – McKinsey & Company
Source: Estudo do Setor de Transporte Aéreo do Brasil: Relatório Consolidado. Rio de Janeiro: McKinsey &
Company, 2010
5.17 From the figure above it can be seen that Guarulhos, Brasilia, and Confins were classified as
needing priority investments, while Viracopos is also very close to the report’s prioritisation
quadrant.
5.18 All concession bid tender documents, with the exception of those for the São Gonçalo do
Amanrante airport, required that the winning consortium create a special purpose company
for the management of the airport, in which the consortium would have a 51% controlling
share and Infraero the remaining 49% participation. São Gonçalo do Amarante, in Natal
northeast Brazil, was the only concession process that included the construction of a new
airport, so the 28 years of concession included 3 initial years construction (maximum
37
Estudo do Setor de Transporte Aéreo do Brasil: Relatório Consolidado. Rio de janeiro: McKinsey &
Company, 2010
June 2016 | 40
permitted) and then 25 years management. Table 5.3 presents the airports that are currently
operated by private companies in Brazil, and the private consortia that won the concession.
Table 5.3 Airports operating by concession, Brazil
Concession Concession Participation as % of

Airport Consortium Partners Nationality
Year period private stake
São Infravix Brazil 50%
Gonçalo do
Corporacion Corporaci
Amarante 2012** 28 years*
Amércia on Argentina 50%
(Rio Grande
do Norte) America
Presidente Consórcio Infravix Brazil 50%

Juscelino Inframérica Corporaci
2012** 25 years**
Kubitschek Aeroportos* on Argentina 50%
(Brasília) * America
Internacion Invepar Brazil 50%
al de
Guarulhos
André Consórcio ACSA (Air
2012** 20 years** Company
Franco Invepar
South Africa 50%
Montoro South
(Guarulhos Africa)
- São Paulo)
Triunfo
Participaç
ões e Brazil 45%
Investime
Internacion ntos
al de Aeroportos
2012** 30 years** UTC
Viracopos Brasil
Participaç Brazil 45%
(São Paulo)
ões
Egis
Airport France 10%
Operation
Internacion Odebrech
al do Rio de t Brazil 60%
Janeiro - Transport
Galeão Aeroportos
2014** 25 years** Changi
Antonio do Futuro
Carlos Airports
Singapore 40%
Jobim (Rio Internatio
de Janeiro) nal
CCR
Brazil 75%
Group
Internacion Flughafen
Switzerland 24%
al Tancredo Zürich AG
Neves Consórcio
2014** 30 years** Munich
Confins Aero Brasil
Airport
(Minas
Internatio
Gerais) Germany 1%
nal
Beteiligun
gs GMBH
* Maximum 3 for construction + 25 Operation and economic exploitation
(http://www2.anac.gov.br/asga/ASGA%20Overview%20-%20110608%2001.pdf)
** INFRAERO (http://www.infraero.gov.br/index.php/br/transparencia/concessao.html)
June 2016 | 41
*** http://www.valor.com.br/empresas/2864308/aeroporto-de-sao-goncalo-do-amarante-deve-operar-em-
abril-de-2014
5.19 All concession processes were conducted in the format of an auction in which the government
established the minimum value. The table below presents the minimum bid and the value paid
by each consortium.
Table 5.4 Concession auction process
% above
Airport Year Minimum* Amount paid** Amount in €*** the
minimum
São Gonçalo do Amarante 2011 R$ 51,700,000 R$ 170,000,000 € 73,835,998 228.8%
Brasília 2012 R$ 582,000,000 R$ 4,501,000,000 € 1,976,637,105 673.4%
Campinas 2012 R$ 1,471,000,000 R$ 3,821,000,000 € 1,678,011,637 159.8%
Guarulhos 2012 R$ 3,424,000,000 R$ 16,213,000,000 € 7,120,021,636 373.5%
Galeão 2013 R$ 4,828,026,000 R$ 19,000,000,000 € 5,833,231,800 293.5%
Confins 2013 R$ 1,096,372,000 R$ 1,800,000,000 € 552,621,960 64.2%
* Fonte: Auction notice - ANAC
** Fonte: Infraero (http://www.infraero.gov.br/index.php/br/concessoes.html) and G1
(http://g1.globo.com/economia/noticia/2011/08/consorcio-inframerica-vence-leilao-de-aeroporto-sao-goncalo-
do-amarante.html)
*** According to Central Bank exchange rate for the auction day
5.20 In all cases, except for São Gonçalo do Amarante in which the contract required the
construction of a new airport, the concession contracts include a first phase which consists in
transferring the operation from Infraero to the concessionaire and a second phase in which
the concessionaire are required to make the necessary expansion and infrastructure
investments to improve the level of service of the airport. As stated in paragraph 5.11, at the
end of the concession period all assets will return to the control of the public sector. All the
required/expected investments were presented in the bid reference documents.
5.21 Examples of the initial investments stipulated by the government included:
 Guarulhos and Brasilia: the construction of new passenger terminals at each airport and
new road accesses and expansion of the apron areas;
 Confins: a new passenger terminal and car parking area; and
 Galeão Rio de Janeiro: a new passenger terminal including at least 26 new boarding
gates, expansion of the apron areas to accommodate increased volume of aircraft and
new passenger car parking areas.
5.22 All concession contracts present minimum investment requirements for infrastructure across
the airport such as runways, apron, terminals, etc., that must be achieved by the
concessionaire during the concession period. To comply with these requirements all the
concessionaries must provide an Infrastructure Management Plan (Plano de Gestão da
Infraestrutura – PGI) within 90 days of the start of the concession contract. This must be
reviewed at least once every five years, with the concessionaire required to present an
implementation plan of the actions/investments necessary to maintain the required levels of
service.
5.23 Currently the federal government is in the process of concessioning four other airports:
Salvador, Florianopolis, Fortaleza and Porto Alegre. The government also has a plan to attract
June 2016 | 42
private investment in regional airports, aiming to improve connections between regions within
the country, develop regional economic centres and strengthen tourist destinations38.
Foreign investment in Brazilian airports
5.24 It has not been possible to find specific formal information published by the Brazilian
Government relating to requirements / restrictions on foreign investments in Brazilian
airports. Nevertheless, as can be seen in Table 5.3, there are a number of international
companies involved in airport concessions in Brazil. European companies currently involved
are as follows:
 Egis Airport Operation (France);
 Flughafen Zürich AG (Switzerland); and
 Munich Airport International Beteiligungs GMBH (Germany).
5.25 In all concession processes the participation of foreign companies was permitted with the
same conditions as local companies. In the process for Viracopos, Brasilia, Guarulhos, Confins
and Galeao the participation of a foreign company was almost compulsory, as one of the
requirements in the tender documents was for an airport operator with experience based on
airport size, with total passenger movements:
 Viracopos, Brasilia, Guarulhos - at least 5 million/year
 Confins - at least 12 million/year
 Galeão - at least 22 million/year
5.26 Due to the fact that up until the relatively recent airport concession processes all Brazilian
public airports were operated solely by Infraero, no Brazilian company was able to meet the
above requirement alone. It therefore became obligatory for interested Brazilian companies to
partner with a foreign airport operator.
5.27 No evidence was found in the tender documents that required foreign companies were
obliged to partner with Brazilian firms, however, it was necessary for any interested party to
meet a series of specific requirements, which included some that only companies formally
registered in Brazil would possess.
5.28 By comparison, on the airline side, there is currently a limit in foreign investment in airline
companies operating in Brazil, but the government is considering increasing this from 20% to
49%39. No particular issues for foreign companies wishing to invest were noted.
5.29 No information about specific limits of investment in airport infrastructure was found.
Brazil: Ground handling
Regulatory framework
5.30 The agency responsible for the regulation and control of the ground handling sector in all
airports in Brazil is ANAC. The most relevant legislation found on this theme is ANAC’s
regulatory document: “Resolução nº116 of 20 October 2009” 40.
38
PAC – Accessed 15 March 2016 - http://www.pac.gov.br/i/ce085a72
39
Folha – Accessed 15 March - http://www1.folha.uol.com.br/mercado/2016/03/1745278-governo-
eleva-limite-de-capital-estrangeiro-em-empresas-aereas.shtml
June 2016 | 43
5.31 According to this document, the ground handling market in Brazil is liberalised and can be
undertaken:
 Directly by the aerodrome operator;
 Directly by aircraft owner or operator, where it has operation, to support their own
aircraft or from third parties whenever they operate shared flights; or
 By specialist third party companies.
5.32 It was not possible to find a clear definition on which kind of services can be provided by each
entity and also if there is any necessity that some kind of ground handling services must be
provided by third parties.
5.33 ANAC´s “Resolução nº 116” states that the companies wanting to provide ground handling
services must have a specific description of these particular services within its company’s
articles of association/incorporation. No express restrictions on international ground handling
providers were found in the document, however, the requirement to present the specific
activities within the company’s articles of association/incorporation may indicate that foreign
companies need some level of registration in Brazil.
5.34 “Resolução nº 116” divides ground handling services in four different categories:
 Operational: in which are included services related to the orientation, organisation,
preparation and movements of aircraft, crew, passengers, luggage and cargo on the
ground;
 Protection: in which are included services related to the surveillance, detection,
identification, protection and others with respect to aircraft, crew, passengers, luggage
and cargo for civil aviation security against illicit acts that could interfere in the area of the
airport;
 Commercial: Services for crew, passengers, and cargo shipper that facilitate civil aviation;
and
 Emergency: in which are included services related to the organization, preparation and
attendance of aircraft, crew, passengers, luggage and cargo in emergency situations on
the ground within an 8 kilometres radius of the aerodrome. For this service there is a
specific regulation document (ANAC Resolution no. 115 of 6 October 2008).
5.35 This study is focussed on the categories of ground handling as defined in the Annex to Council
Directive 96/67/EC, and it has been assumed that these categories align with the ‘operational’
ground handling functions according to ANAC´s definition.
5.36 ANAC has published numerous regulatory documents regarding all areas of civil aviation.
“Resolução nº 302 of 5 February 2014”41 establishes the criteria and procedures applied to
airport area allocation and remuneration. It states that the airport operator should provide, to
airline companies that operate or intend to operate regular air transport services, sufficient
area for:
 Aircraft, passengers and luggage shipment;
 Shipment and receipt of cargo transported by air;
40
ANAC – Accessed 7 March 2016 - http://www2.anac.gov.br/biblioteca/resolucao/RA2009-0116.pdf
41
ANAC – Accessed 16 March 2016 - http://www2.anac.gov.br/biblioteca/Resolucao/2014/RA2014-
0302.pdf
June 2016 | 44
 Aircraft loading and unloading;
 Aircraft maintenance;
 Aircraft shelter and ramp equipment; and
 Administrative activities.
5.37 The document also establishes that airline companies can contract ground handling companies
to provide any of the services connected with the areas presented above.
5.38 The document also states that discriminatory and abusive practices are prohibited with
respect to the allocation and remuneration of airport areas, which include those for ground
handling providers.
Market information
5.39 According to ABESATA’s ‘1st Brazilian Yearbook of Ground Handling Services’42, in Latin
America 60% of ground handling services are provided by third party companies while 30% are
provided by airline operators and 10% by the airport operator.
5.40 The market shares of the major companies in the Brazilian ground handling market for ramp
and passenger services are shown in Figure 5.2 and Figure 5.3 respectively.
Figure 5.2: Brazilian ground handling market share by company (ramp)
Swissport
TAM Linhas Aereas
20.9% RM Ground Handling

28.6%
Vitsolo
1.1% 3.0% Provoo

2.1% Quality
2.4%
Proair
Insolo
4.0% 8.9% 21.1% Various
7.9% n.a.
Source: Estimation based on internet search and information obtained from stakeholders
Note: Estimates are for unweighted departures i.e. differentiation by aircraft size is not included. n.a. represents
airports with under 15,000 passengers per year
42 st th
1 Brazilian Yearbook of Ground Handling Services - ABESATA – 2014 - Accessed 7 March 2016 -
http://www.abesata.org/br/anuario-da-abesata/
June 2016 | 45
Figure 5.3: Brazilian ground handling market share by company (passenger)
0.3%
Swissport
TAM Linhas Aereas
21.8% GOL Airlines
20.9%
2.7% Azul Airlines
0.3%
Avianca Brasil
0.7%
Passaredo
1.1% Proair
25.9% American Airlines
19.7% Various
6.6%
n.a.
airports with under 15,000 flights per year
5.41 We estimate the total value of the Brazilian ground handling market to be €566 million for
ramp and passenger services combined.
5.42 Market share and size estimates have been developed in line with the methodology described
on page 34.
Number of ground handling organisations
5.43 The ‘1st Brazilian Yearbook of Ground Handling Services’ states there are currently (in 2014)
211 ground handling companies operating in Brazil, with distribution as presented in Figure
5.4.
June 2016 | 46
Figure 5.4 Geographic Distribution of ground handling companies in Brazil – ABESATA
st
Source: 1 Brazilian Yearbook of Ground Handling Services (ABESATA)
5.44 According to ABESATA, based on information from the ground handling companies that are
operating in Brazil, 147 companies provide operational services, 86 render commercial
services and 6 provide emergency services. Of the ground handling companies that provide
operational services for airline companies:
 60 provide aircraft servicing;
 50 provide services relating to aircraft cleaning;
 50 are focused on cargo movement; and
 38 provide passenger boarding and attendance services43.
5.45 Figure 5.5 presents the services offered by operational services ground handling provider.
43
ABESATA – Accessed 16 March 2016 - http://www.abesata.org/br/2014/07/23/abesata-diz-que-ha-
mais-espaco-para-servicos-auxiliares-na-aviacao/
June 2016 | 47
Figure 5.5 Number of ground handling companies providing ‘operational services’ at Brazilian airports
st
Source: 1 Brazilian Yearbook of Ground Handling Services (ABESATA)
5.46 From the number of ground handling companies providing different services across Brazil, we
conclude that there is no monopoly on the provision of a particular ground handling service in
Brazil.
5.47 The information from ABESATA states that Viracopos, Curitiba, Guarulhos and Galeão airports
have the largest number of ground handling companies operating on-site, with respectively
34, 30, 28 and 24 companies each (it is important to note that this numbers includes all types
of ground handling companies, such as fuelling, catering, ramp, and there is no clear
information on which services each company provides at each airport)44.
Airports and airlines-provided ground handling services
5.48 Whilst airline companies are permitted to self-handle, the vast majority use third parties for
ground handling services. A significant exception is TAM airlines, which self-handles for 90% of
its operation, using third party companies at only a small number of airports such as Aracaju in
Sergipe45.
5.49 According to ABESATA, 70% of total commercial aviation flights involve a third party ground
handling provider at some point, while in general aviation this participation is lower, at only
20%.
5.50 No legal or factual text regarding requirements for ground handling activities for airport
operators or airline companies was identified. In addition, no data on provision of ground
44 st
1 Brazilian Yearbook of Ground Handling Services - ABESATA – 2014 - Accessed 7 March 2016 -
http://www.abesata.org/br/anuario-da-abesata/
45
June 2016 | 48
handling services by airports was available; this is therefore understood to be very rare or non-
existent.
Ground handling companies in Brazil
5.51 According to ABSATA46 there are eight companies that control 85% of the ground handling
market in Brazil:
 Orbital;
 Proair;
 RM;
 Swissport;
 Vit Solo;
 RP AATA; and
 Tristar.
5.52 Typically, the companies that operate at multiple airports are those providing services relating
to fuel and oil handling. Table 5.5 presents the companies that operated at the largest number
of airports in Brazil.
Table 5.5 Ground handling companies – Brazil airports 2015
Company name Origin Number of airports

BR Aviation Brazil 101
Shell Aviation Netherlands 52
Orbital* Brazil 29
Vit Solo Brazil 24
Air BP do Brasil England 23
RM Ground Services** Brazil 22
Air Special Serviços Brazil 20
Tri-Star Brazil 15
Swissport*** Switzerland 13
RP AATA Brazil 12
One Handling System Brazil 12
47
* Acquired by WorldWide Flight Services (WFS) - France
48
** Acquired by danta - UAE
49
*** Part of the company was acquired by HNA Chinese group
Source: ABESATA - 1st Brazilian Yearbook of Ground Handling Services – updated with data provided by companies
website
46
47
WFS – Accessed 16 March 2016 - http://81.93.5.95/hot-news/worldwide-flight-services-acquires-
controlling-stake-in-orbital-group-of-brazil-first-step-into-the-latin-america-ground-handling-
market/b9839fb136177e853322409e1ed52eaf/
48
RM Ground Services – Accessed 16 March 2016 - http://www.rmghs.com.br/noticia1.php
49
NewsAvia – Accessed 16 March 2016 - http://newsavia.com/grupo-chines-hna-compra-swissport-por-
2820-milhoes-de-dolares/
June 2016 | 49
Presence of international ground handling operators
5.53 The presence of Swissport, BP, and Shell in the list in Table 5.5 indicates that international
ground handling companies, including those from the EU, are able to operate in Brazil.
According to one ground handling operator consulted for this study, the Brazilian ground
handling market is fully liberalised, with no major difficulties reported in entering or operating
in the market.
June 2016 | 50
6 Case study: China
Introduction
6.1 In this chapter we present the market analysis for airport ownership, management, and
ground handling in China. In the context of this document, ‘China’ refers to the regulatory
conditions in mainland China and does not include Taiwan50 or the Special Administrative
Regions of Hong Kong and Macau.
Context
6.2 As of 2014 there were 200 airports in mainland China with regularly scheduled commercial
flights, serving 198 cities.51 Table 12.1 lists the twenty Chinese airports with the highest
number of arriving and departing passengers in calendar year 2014.
Table 6.1: Top 20 Chinese airports by number of arriving and departing passengers, 2014
Rank Name of Airport IATA Code Total passengers CY2014

1 Beijing Capital International Airport PEK 86,128,313
2 Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport CAN 54,780,346
3 Shanghai Pudong International Airport PVG 51,687,894
4 Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport SHA 37,971,135
5 Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport CTU 37,675,232
6 Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport SZX 36,272,701
7 Kunming Changshui International Airport KMG 32,230,883
8 Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport CKG 29,264,363
9 Xi'an Xianyang International Airport XIY 29,260,755
10 Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport HGH 25,525,862
11 Xiamen Gaoqi International Airport XMN 20,863,786
12 Changsha Huanghua International Airport CSX 18,020,501
13 Wuhan Tianhe International Airport WUH 17,277,104
14 Qingdao Liuting International Airport TAO 16,411,789
50
The official policy of the European Union recognizes the Government of the People’s Republic of
China as the sole legal government of China, and has no diplomatic or formal political relations with
Taiwan. Nevertheless the EU recognises Taiwan as a distinct economic entity and full member of WTO,
and engages in economic and other sectorial cooperation with Taiwan.
http://eeas.europa.eu/taiwan/index_en.htm
51
2014年全国机场生产统计公报 [Public Report of Statistics on Nationwide Airports in 2014], accessed
March 28, 2016. http://www.caac.gov.cn/XXGK/XXGK/TJSJ/201511/t20151102_8866.html
June 2016 | 51
Rank Name of Airport IATA Code Total passengers CY2014
15 Ürümqi Diwopu International Airport URC 16,311,140
16 Nanjing Lukou International Airport NKG 16,283,816
17 Zhengzhou Xinzheng International Airport CGO 15,805,443
18 Sanya Phoenix International Airport SYX 14,942,356
19 Haikou Meilan International Airport HAK 13,853,859
20 Dalian Zhoushuizi International Airport DLC 13,551,223
52
Source: Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC)
China: Airport ownership

6.3 Most airports in China are owned and managed by the provincial or municipal authority where
the airport is located. The exceptions are the airports of Tibet, Beijing, and Tianjin, which
remain managed by the central government.53
6.4 Whilst we are not aware of any airports in China with a majority stake held by foreign entities,
it is possible for foreign parties to invest in Chinese airports and other civil aviation services in
partnership with a Chinese entity or entities. This is governed by the 2001 law on ‘Provisions
on Foreign Investment in Civil Aviation’ which is administered by the Civil Aviation
Administration of China (CAAC). 54
6.5 Under this law, foreign entities are allowed to invest in civilian airports, passenger and cargo
airlines, and other aviation-related businesses that serve the public such as companies
providing airport ground services (e.g. baggage handling, refuelling, aircraft maintenance) or
charter and sightseeing flights. Foreign investment is not permitted in air traffic control
systems or in areas that affect national security.
6.6 Permissible forms of investment include joint financing and operations with a Chinese entity
or purchasing stocks in an existing entity; other investment methods are subject to CAAC
approval. The size of the ownership stake that can be held by the foreign entity depends on
the type of investment. Generally speaking, the majority stake should be held by a Chinese
entity, and the maximum stake that can be held by one foreign entity is 25%. The exception is
in ground services outside of aircraft maintenance or refuelling (e.g. catering, management of
parking facilities), where the size of the foreign stake is to be determined by mutual
agreement between the foreign and Chinese entities involved in the venture.
6.7 CCAR-201 also states that joint ventures with foreign entities should be for periods of less than
thirty years, although they may be renewed if all parties are in agreement.
6.8 The level of fees and charges that can be levied for aeronautical services (e.g. landing and
take-off fees, passenger fees) and major non-aeronautical fees (e.g. ground service fees, rent
52
2014年民航机场吞吐量排名 [Ranking of Civil Aviation Airports by Passenger Volumes in 2014],
accessed March 28, 2016.
http://www.caac.gov.cn/XXGK/XXGK/TJSJ/201511/P020151103352275705651.xls
53
国务院关于省(区、市)民航机场管理体制和行政管理体制改革实施方案的批复, accessed March
28, 2016. http://www.gov.cn/zhengce/content/2008-03/28/content_3302.htm
54
Provisions on Foreign Investment in Civil Aviation [《外商投资民用航空业规定》; CCAR-201],
accessed March 28, 2016. http://www.caac.gov.cn/XXGK/XXGK/MHGZ/201511/t20151102_8522.html
June 2016 | 52
for office space, lounges, and check-in or ticketing areas) are regulated by the CAAC and the
central government. 55
6.9 CCAR-201 permits greater flexibility and autonomy for investors from Hong Kong, Macau, and
Taiwan56, however EU businesses are subject to the original rules governing foreign investors.
57
6.10 It is quite common among the major airports to have some extent of private ownership.
Among the top 10 airports by passenger volume in 2014, nearly all are partially owned by one
or more private entities. This can be either Chinese or foreign parties, as long as any foreign
stake does not exceed the legally prescribed limits..
6.11 Six of China’s airports – Xiamen, Shenzhen, Shanghai Hongqiao, Beijing, Haikou, and
Guangzhou – are listed on the stock exchanges of Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Shenzhen.58 This
is another avenue for foreign investors to gain ownership in Chinese airports, although foreign
entities can only hold a limited proportion of shares in airports. For example, those listed in
the Shanghai Stock Exchange cannot have more than 30% of stocks held by foreign entities in
total.59
6.12 Note that a listing on the stock exchange does not mean the airports are entirely privately
owned – in all of these cases the majority of the stock is still held by government-owned
companies. Private companies interested in owning parts of airports are not limited to only
the six above; however the mechanisms to achieve ownership (joint ventures versus stocks)
are different. In the following sections we elaborate on the most relevant examples of each.
Foreign Investments in Chinese Airports
6.13 As mentioned in paragraph 12.6, European entities can hold minority stakes in Chinese
airports. The involvement of foreign entities is often viewed as a way of enabling knowledge
transfer of best practices and to raise capital in light of reduced government subsidies.60
6.14 In 2002, Copenhagen Airports bought a 20% share in Haikou Meilan International Airport, 61
naming two members of the airport’s Board of Directors and assisting with airport operations
55
Case Study on Commercialization, Privatization and Economic Oversight of Airports and Air Navigation
Services Providers – China. Accessed March 29,
2016.http://www.icao.int/sustainability/CaseStudies/China.pdf
56
《外商投资民用航空业规定》的补充规定, accessed March 29, 2016.
http://www.caac.gov.cn/XXGK/XXGK/MHGZ/201511/t20151102_8493.html
57
《外商投资民用航空业规定》的补充规定（五）[Supplementary Regulations No. 5 to ‘Provisions
on Foreign Investment in Civil Aviation’], accessed March 29, 2016.
http://www.caac.gov.cn/XXGK/XXGK/MHGZ/201511/t20151102_8605.html
58
The Structure of the Airport Industry, accessed March 29, 2016. http://documents.routledge-
interactive.s3.amazonaws.com/9781138784567/Ch%205_Graham.pdf
59
外资比例接近警戒线上海机场沪股通被叫停, [Trading of Shanghai Airport stocks on the Shanghai-
Hong Kong Stock Connect halted as the ratio of foreign investments approaches the regulatory limit],
accessed March 29, 2016. http://news.xinhuanet.com/fortune/2015-05/20/c_127820236.htm
60
外资争购长江三角洲机场, [Foreign Investors Eager to Invest in Yangtze River Delta Region Airports],
accessed March 29, 2016. http://finance.sina.com.cn/chanjing/b/20060705/1513782229.shtml
June 2016 | 53
and knowledge transfer. Copenhagen Airports later sold all its shares in 2007 due to
disagreements about the strategy of Meilan Airport and also a corporate decision to sell off its
international investments.62 Aéroports de Paris purchased 10% of shares in Beijing Airport
when it was first listed in 2000, and later sold the stake in 2007 for a significant profit. 63
Fraport currently owns a 24.5% stake of Xi’an Xianyang International Airport, 64 which it
purchased for €50 million in 2007 (the remaining 75.5% is owned by government-affiliated
entities).65
6.15 As noted above, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan investors are granted special provisions under
CCAR-201 and companies from these countries are active in the joint ownership of airports in
China. The Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK) owns a 35% stake in Hangzhou Xiaoshan
International Airport66 and a 55% stake in Zhuhai Airport67. 25% of Chengdu Airport is owned
by a separate Hong Kong enterprise.68 Xiamen Airport’s cargo terminal is jointly owned by the
local government (58%) and three Taiwanese companies (42% stake total).69
China: Airport management
6.16 ‘Provisions on Foreign Investment in Civil Aviation’ also stipulates conditions for the
involvement of foreign companies in the management of Chinese airports. Specifically, foreign
companies must partner with a Chinese entity if they wish to participate in the management
of airports, and they cannot be the majority stakeholder in the joint venture. There is a
mandate for knowledge transfer and preference for foreign companies with industry
experience.
6.17 Airports are typically managed by state-owned companies. By law, it is not possible for a non-
Chinese company to become the sole or majority owner in an airport management company
61
Danes buy shares in Meilan airport offer, accessed March 28, 2016.
http://www.scmp.com/article/394743/danes-buy-shares-meilan-airport-offer
62
Stake disposal lifts Meilan Airport, accessed March 29, 2016.
http://www.scmp.com/article/595772/stake-disposal-lifts-meilan-airport
63
UPDATE 2-ADP sells Beijing Airport stake for $252 mln, accessed March 29, 2016.
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN2633184120070226
64
Fraport inks first investment in China, accessed March 29, 2016.
http://financeasias.com/News/77698,fraport-inks-first-investment-in-china.aspx
65
Xi'an Xianyang International Airport Co., Ltd, accessed March 29, 2016.
http://www.fraport.com/en/the-fraport-group/fraport-worldwide/subsidiaries-investments/xi-an-
xianyang-international-airport-co---ltd.html
66
Mainland Projects, accessed March 29, 2016.
https://www.hongkongairport.com/eng/pdf/media/publication/report/14_15/E15_Mainland_Projects.
pdf
67
Airport Authority Hong Kong strikes joint-venture deal to manage Zhuhai Airport, accessed March 29,
2016. http://www.moodiereport.com/document.php?c_id=1178&doc_id=11598
68
四川省机场集团有限公司, [About Sichuan Airport Group Co., Ltd.], accessed April 4, 2016.
http://www.cdairport.com/wifi/gongsijianjie.html
69
About Us – Xiamen International Airport Cargo Terminal, accessed March 29, 2016.
http://en.xiact.com/about.aspx
June 2016 | 54
in China. However, it is very common for foreign entities to be involved in airport management
either as a minority partner in a joint holding company or in an advisory role.
6.18 For example, Fraport currently participates in the management of the terminals and the retail
areas of Xi’an Airport through a joint venture with a local partner; Fraport holds a 24.5%
stake.70 While it was not the official manager of the airport, in 2005 Aéroports de Paris signed
a three-year agreement to provide advisory services to Beijing Airport on the utilisation and
management of its facilities.71 Schiphol Group has also assisted with commercial development
at Guangzhou Airport.72 Several other airports have engaged foreign companies to assist with
training, commercial development, airport operations, or marketing activities in more informal
ways short of forming a combined holding company.73
6.19 Outside of passenger services, EU companies are involved in the management of airports’
cargo operations. Lufthansa Cargo has several joint ventures in Shanghai Pudong (29% stake),
Shenzhen (50%) and Tianjin (46%) to operate cargo terminals at these airports.74
6.20 Our research did not reveal any cases of Build-Operate-Transfer arrangements in the context
of Chinese airports. However, foreign companies can be involved in the construction of
airports, for instance Aéroports de Paris’ engineering group designed the master plan and
architecture for the planned new airports for Beijing and Chengdu, and was selected in 2015
to evaluate proposed development projects at Shanghai Pudong airport for their potential
impacts on airport operations and productivity.75 76
6.21 The existing operations of EU companies described in this section suggest it is possible for
European entities to enter the Chinese airport management market, but with conditions on
the size of the investment in proportional terms (majority not permitted).
70
Xi'an Xianyang International Airport Co., Ltd, accessed March 29, 2016.
http://www.fraport.com/en/the-fraport-group/fraport-worldwide/subsidiaries-investments/xi-an-
xianyang-international-airport-co---ltd.html
71
北京机场与巴黎机场签署新顾问协议, [Beijing Airport Signs New Consulting Agreement with
Aéroports de Paris], accessed March 29, 2016.
http://www.bcia.com.cn/news/news/130217/news713.shtml
72
Cooperation with Guangzhou: Schiphol Group sets foot on Chinese soil, accessed April 4, 2016.
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pholGroupSetsFootOnChineseSoil.htm
73
法兰克福机场入股西安机场获批, [Approval received for Fraport’s investment in Xi’an Airport],
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74
LH Group in China, accessed March 29, 2016.
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75
Aéroports de Paris wins multiple architecture competitions and engineering assignments to design
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76
Aéroports de Paris, winner of design competition for New Beijing Terminal, fine tunes new airport
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new-beijing-terminal-fine-tunes-new-airport-design.pdf
June 2016 | 55
China: Ground handling
6.22 The ‘Provisions on Foreign Investment on Civil Aviation’ state that any foreign investor
interested in entering the ground services business must do so through a joint venture with a
Chinese company. They must be the minority stakeholder in the case of aircraft maintenance
or refuelling businesses. In other service areas – the law provides the examples of ground
services, catering, and provision of parking facilities – the size of shareholdings is to be
determined based on mutual agreement by the parties in the joint venture but a Chinese
partner is always required.
6.23 While it is permissible for airlines to operate their own ground handling services, typically each
airport also has an affiliated ground services company that only operates at that airport and
serves a significant share of airlines. This company is often a joint venture between the
airport’s holding company, foreign entities, and/or airlines, indicating the possibility of foreign
investment in ground handling operations. At major airports, the majority airline tenant
sometimes also provides ground handling for itself and its partner airlines. 77
6.24 A good example of this is at Beijing Airport, where Beijing Aviation Ground Services – a joint
venture between the airport (51%), Singapore-based SATS (29%), China Eastern Airlines (10%)
and China Southern Airlines (10%) – has a 52% share of the ground handling market, while Air
China also provides ground services for itself and partner airlines78. Another case study is at
Chengdu Airport, where Sichuan Airlines handles its own flights, the airport ground handling
company (itself a joint venture between the provincial government and Menzies Aviation)
serves more than 80% of the other airlines79, and Air China serves the remaining airlines. 80
There do not appear to be restrictions on the airlines that can be served by each type of
ground handler; in Chengdu the airport handler and Air China each serve both foreign and
Chinese airlines. Due to the fragmented nature of the ground handling market – as shown in
Figure 12.1 – it is difficult to estimate the total market size occupied by each type of ground
handling service provider as operating situations differ from airport to airport.
6.25 It is theoretically possible for Chinese-only third party groundhandlers to operate, however
due to strong competition from airports and airlines, who often consider handling passenger
flights to be a core revenue generator, our understanding is that there are no such handlers
operating within the major airports.81 Within the cargo realm, a Chinese third party company,
77
Asia Pacific Round Up, accessed March 29,2 016. http://evaint.com/our-publications/airline-ground-
services/previous-issues/airline-ground-services-summer-autumn-2015/asia-pacific-round-up
78
BGS完成股权重组首都机场持股51%成最大股东, [Restructure of Beijing Aviation Ground Services
Complete; Capital Airport is Majority Stakeholder at 51%], accessed April 4, 2016.
http://news.carnoc.com/list/326/326666.html
79
成都双流国际机场航空地面服务有限公, [About Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport Ground
Services Company], accessed April 5, 2016. http://www.camac.org.cn/info.php?id=5810
80
Airlines, accessed April 4, 2016. http://www.cdairport.com/front_en/hbxx2.jsp
81
民企突破“垄断”藩蓠还需政策给力 [Regulatory Support Needed for Private Companies to break into
the Hegemony], accessed April 25, 2016. http://chinacenn.com/News/20120313-153764.shtm
June 2016 | 56
Suijia Logistics, won a contract to handle cargo flights at Beijing Airport in 2015, indicating the
possibility of third-party ground handlers in the cargo market.82
Market information
6.26 The market shares of the major companies in the Chinese ground handling market for ramp
Figure 6.1: Chinese ground handling market share by company (ramp)
China Southern
Yunnan Airport Services
Shenzen Airport
1.6% Air China Aviation Services
Xi An Aiport Aviation Services
Beijing Aviation Ground Services (BGS)
2.1% 20.8% Changdu Airport
Chongqing Airport
1.5%
Hangzhou Airport
1.5%
1.5% 26.6% Guangzhou Ground Handling Services
Wuhan Airport
1.7% Urumqi Airport
1.9% Changsha Airport
Nanjing Airport
1.9% Qingdao Airport
1.9% TIAS
2.0% Guiyang Airport
2.1% SIAS
4.2% Tianjin Airport
2.5% HAS
Jardine Aviation Service
2.8% 3.8%
Various
2.9% 3.6% n.a.
3.0% 3.0% 3.5% 3.6%
Source: Confidential market information based on stakeholder insight, internet search, and airport
82
民营企业进入首都机场货运业务外包新领域 [Private Company enters Outsourcing of Cargo
Operations at Beijing Airport in an Industry First], accessed April 25, 2016.
http://www.chinawuliu.com.cn/zixun/201502/25/298814.shtml
June 2016 | 57
Figure 6.2: Chinese ground handling market share by company (passenger)
China Southern
Yunnan Airport Services
Shenzen Airport
Air China Aviation Services
Xi An Aiport Aviation Services
Beijing Aviation Ground Services (BGS)
1.5% 23.1% Changdu Airport
Chongqing Airport
1.5%
1.5% 26.6% Hangzhou Airport
Guangzhou Ground Handling Services
1.5% Wuhan Airport
1.7% Urumqi Airport
1.9% Changsha Airport

Nanjing Airport
1.9%
Qingdao Airport
1.9% TIAS
2.0% 4.2% Guiyang Airport
2.1% SIAS
3.8% Tianjin Airport
2.5%
HAS
2.8% 3.6%
Various
2.9% 3.6%
3.0% 3.0% 3.5% n.a.
6.27 We estimate the total value of the Chinese ground handling market to be €2.4 billion for ramp
and passenger services combined.
6.28 EU operators are currently active in ground services provision in China. German LSG Sky Chefs
is in several joint ventures to provide catering services at more than 10 airports.83 84 In at least
one case, the airport operator previously handled all catering but was unable to keep up with
demand from airlines, thus needing a second party (i.e. LSG Sky Chefs) to provide additional
capacity. In the area of aircraft maintenance, Lufthansa Technik is a 25% stake owner in
Ameco Beijing, which provides maintenance, repair, and overhaul of aircraft in Beijing.85
6.29 Many non-EU and non-Chinese companies are involved in ground handling joint ventures in
China. For instance, Hong Kong Airport Services Ltd. provides ground handling services at both
Shanghai airports through a joint venture with Shanghai International Airports Company, and
Singapore’s SATS is a ground handler and inflight caterer at nine airports (Beijing, Tianjin,
Nanchang, Wuhan, Chongqing, Guiyang, Changchun, Hohhot, and Harbin) in its joint venture
with Capital Airports Holding Company.86 87
83
LH Group in China, accessed March 29, 2016.
http://www.lufthansa.com/mediapool/pdf/27/media_969127.pdf
84
LSG Sky Chefs Signs Joint Venture Agreement in Wenzhou, China , accessed March 29, 2016.
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china/
85
Ameco Beijing, accessed March 29, 2016. http://www.lufthansa-technik.com/ameco-beijing
86
HAS – About Us, accessed March 29, 2016. http://www.has.com.hk/main/en/aboutus.php
87
SATS' China Ground Handling JV Completes Expansion into Eight Airports, accessed March 29, 2016.
https://www.sats.com.sg/Media/NewsContent/MR20-Feb-2008.pdf
June 2016 | 58
7 Case study: India
Introduction
7.1 In this chapter we provide the market analysis for India, on airport ownership and
management and ground handling. We cover an overview of the Indian aviation market, the
structure of ownership and management of the airports and the size and scale of ground
handling operations, as well as recent developments in regulatory policy.
Context
7.2 The Airports Authority of India (AAI) states88 that there are 464 airports and airstrips in India,
90 of which are used by commercial airlines. The 10 busiest airports, by the number of annual
passengers, are shown in Table 7.1.
Table 7.1: Busiest airports by number of passengers
Airport City Passengers 2014/15* Share of Total

Indira Gandhi International Airport Delhi 40,985,555 21.6%
Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport Mumbai 36,634,833 19.3%
Kempegowda International Airport Bangalore 15,401,392 8.1%
Chennai International Airport Chennai 14,299,200 7.5%
Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport Kolkata 10,916,669 5.7%
Rajiv Gandhi Hyderabad International Airport Hyderabad 10,404,353 5.5%
Cochin International Airport Cochin 6,414,135 3.4%
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport Ahmedabad 5,050,433 2.7%
Goa International Airport Goa 4,513,201 2.4%
Pune Airport Pune 4,190,509 2.2%
89
*April 2014 – March 2015, Source: AAI
7.3 Traffic growth was strong over the period April 2014 – March 2015 with domestic passenger
traffic growing at 13.9% and international passenger traffic growing at 9.0%90.
India: Airport ownership
Overview
7.4 The vast majority of commercial airports in India are publically owned and operated by the
AAI; a small number are privately owned or operated via concession arrangements.
88
AAI Policy on Airports, accessed 29/03/2016, http://www.aai.aero/public_notices/aaisite_test/policy.jsp
89
http://www.aai.aero/traffic_news/Mar2k15annex3.pdf
90
http://www.aai.aero/traffic_news/TRMAR15.pdf
June 2016 | 59
7.5 Two greenfield airports, which are airports built from scratch on greenfield land, have been
constructed with funds from private investors:
 Kazi Nazrul Islam Airport in West Bengal, which started operations in 2015 and currently
serves only Delhi and Kolkata, is a joint venture between Bengal Aerotropolis Projects Ltd
and Changi Airport Group; and
 Cochin International Airport, which started operations in 1999 and was the first airport in
India to be developed under public-private partnership, is owned and operated by Cochin
International Airport Limited – a public company whose shareholders include the Kerala
state government, several private companies and nearly 10,000 non-resident Indians from
30 countries91.
arrangements for Indian airports under airport management.
India: Airport management
History
7.7 The Ministry of Civil Aviation states92 that India “…will continue to encourage development of
airports by the State Government or the private sector or in PPP mode”. However in practice,
relatively few airports have had private involvement; the AAI policy on airports states93 “…the
Ministry of Civil Aviation will identify existing airports, in respect of which private sector
involvement for development and upgradation of infrastructure is desired”.
7.8 In the early 2000s, the state of infrastructure at Indian airports was poor; they suffered from a
lack on investment and modernisation, hindering India’s participation in the expansion of the
global travel market in the previous decade. A committee appointed by the Ministry of Civil
Aviation in 2003 to develop a roadmap for the civil aviation sector noted that while China’s air
seat capacity had grown by 485% (1989-2000), India’s had increased by only 40% and among
the various factors cited for the lack of overall growth in the sector (such as a lack of private
participation/competition in the market, ageing fleets, high costs of aviation, a lack of
regulatory oversight), was the poor state of the airports and its facilities, which were termed
to be “… for the most part, an embarrassment”94.
7.9 On airports, in particular, the committee recommended that the government expedite the
proposed process of privatisation (via concessions) of Delhi and Mumbai airports, and that the
proposed regulatory body be established to avoid the potential for monopolistic policies to be
adopted by airport operators. In reality, it was after a considerable number of delays and
another three years that the concessions commenced (in 2006), and the establishment of the
Airports Economic Regulatory Authority of India (AERA) took place three years after that (in
2009). This resulted in a large amount of uncertainty in the minds of investors and
91
The Rediff Business Interview/V J Kurien, accessed 30/03/2016,
http://www.rediff.com/business/1999/dec/06inter.htm
92
The Ministry of Civil Aviation Draft national Civil Aviation Policy, accessed 30/03/2016,
http://www.civilaviation.gov.in/sites/default/files/Revised_Draft_NCAP%202015_30Oct2015_1.pdf
93
AAI Policy on Airports
94
http://civilaviation.gov.in/sites/default/files/moca_000740.pdf
June 2016 | 60
incompatibilities between the policies implemented by AERA and the agreed concessions at
the privatised airports. The role of AERA is discussed further in the following sections.
Airport concessions in India
7.10 In 2006, Indira Gandhi and Chhatrapati Shivaji international airports, the primary airports
serving Delhi and Mumbai respectively, were leased to a consortia of private investors for a
period of 30 years with an option for a further 30 year extension. The concession agreements95
stipulated that the operators have the exclusive right to “develop, finance, design, construct,
modernize, operate, maintain, use and regulate the use by third parties of the Airport…[and]
…enjoy complete and uninterrupted possession and control of the Airport Site”. As per the
concession agreements, possession returns to public authorities at the end of the concession
period
7.11 The shareholdings of the investment consortia, at the time of winning the contract and
currently, of Delhi and Mumbai International Airports are shown in Table 7.2 and Table 7.3
respectively.
Table 7.2: Indira Gandhi (Delhi) International Airport shareholders
Investor Type Shareholder Country of origin 2006 Holding 2016 Holding

Public AAI India 26% 26%
Private GMR Group India 41% 64%
Private GVL Investments India 9% -
Private Fraport AG Germany 10% 10%
Private Malaysia Airports Malaysia 10% -
Private Charity India Development Fund USA 4% -
96
Source: Ministry of Civil Aviation Agreements, The Economic Times
Table 7.3: Chhatrapati Shivaji (Mumbai) International Airport shareholders
Investor Type Shareholder Country of origin 2006 Holding 2016 Holding

Public AAI India 26% 26%
Private GVK Airport Holdings India 37% 50.5%
Bid Services Division
Private South Africa 27% 13.5%
Ltd- The Bidvest Group
Private ACSA Global South Africa 10% 10%
97
Source: Ministry of Civil Aviation Agreements, The Economic Times
7.12 The AAI policy on airports states that foreign equity participation is permitted up to 74%, or
100% with special permission. However, the concession agreements for Delhi and Mumbai
airports state that the aggregate foreign shareholding shall not exceed 49%.
95
Ministry of Civil Aviation Agreements, accessed 29/03/201, http://www.civilaviation.gov.in/agreements
96
GMR to buy additional 10% stake in Delhi airport for $79 million, accessed 30/03/2016,
http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2015-03-25/news/60475034_1_gmr-airports-delhi-international-
airport-ltd-gmr-infrastructure
97
GVK buys 13.5% more in Mumbai International Airport, accessed 30/03/2016,
http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2011-03-03/news/28651006_1_bid-services-division-mial-gvk-
airport-holdings
June 2016 | 61
Further Privatisation/Concession Programme
7.13 In 2013, the government in office initiated the concessioning process at 6 further airports –
Ahmedabad, Chennai, Guwahati, Jaipur, Kolkata and Lucknow. After a series of hold ups and
delays, the process was abandoned in 2015; a decision partially influenced by the large
increase in landing fees at Delhi and Mumbai after they were concessioned98. However, there
are still plans to privatise the operation of Ahmedabad and Jaipur airports, which is discussed
further at the end of this section.
7.14 In 2004, the operation of Bangalore and Hyderabad International Airports were let via a
concession agreement to a consortium of private investors. The current shareholders of the
operating companies are shown in Table 7.4 and Table 7.5 respectively. The agreements state
“the development and construction of the Airport…[and]… the operation and maintenance of
the Airport” will be let for a period of 30 years with an option for a further 30 year extension.
7.15 The agreements are very similar to those of Delhi and Mumbai airports, although the scope of
each agreement does not include the ownership clause which states that the concessionaire
will “…enjoy complete and uninterrupted possession and control of the Airport Site”. The
agreement documents for Hyderabad and Bangalore airports do not contain any stipulations
on foreign equity limits, which suggests that the 74% foreign equity rule set out in 11.9
applies.
Table 7.4: Kempegowda (Bangalore) International Airport shareholders
Investor Type Shareholder Country of origin Holding

Public KSIIDC India 13%
Public AAI India 13%
Private Siemens Germany 26%
Private Fairfax Financial Holdings Canada 38%
Private GVK India 10%
* Karnataka State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation
99
Source: The Hindu
Table 7.5: Rajiv Gandhi (Hyderabad) International Airport shareholders
Investor Type Shareholder Country of origin Holding

Public Government of India India 13%
Public Government of Telangana India 13%
Private GMR Group India 63%
Private Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad Malaysia 11%
100
Source: Rajiv Gandhi International Airport
7.16 The only other commercial airport in India which is not operated by the AAI is Dr. Babasaheb
Ambedkar International Airport in Nagpur, which is operated by the Maharashtra Airport
98
Airport privatisation grounded after zig-zag flight, accessed 26/04/2016,
http://www.livemint.com/Politics/PSKwmh99CwQZe6Id3XZ7XP/Airport-privatisation-grounded-after-zigzag-
flight.html
99
Zurich Airport sells 5% stake in Bengaluru airport to Fairfax for $48.9 mn, accessed 26/04/2016,
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/logistics/zurich-airport-sells-5-stake-in-bangalore-airport-to-
faifax-for-489-mn/article8489613.ece
100
About us, accessed 30/03/2016, http://www.hyderabad.aero/our-company.aspx
June 2016 | 62
Development Company – a company created by the state of Maharashtra to develop a major
international cargo hub at Nagpur airport.
7.17 A memorandum of understanding has recently been signed between the government of India
and Singapore's Changi Airport to operate and manage Ahmedabad and Jaipur airports101.
Both the ownership and management of these airports were intended to be privatised in 2013
and was scaled back to operation and maintenance contracts only in August 2015. However,
the Indian government has decided against a tendering process and awarded the contracts
directly to Changi Airport Group.
The role of AERA
7.18 As discussed previously, the regulatory body AERA was established in 2009 (after the
privatisation of the airports at Delhi and Mumbai) with the main function of determining and
regulating aeronautical charges/tariffs102 and the setting of development fees and passenger
service fees. This role covers all “major airports” which are defined to be airports with an
annual passenger throughput in excess of 1.5 million (or any airport deemed by the Central
Government to be included under the remit of AERA)103 and currently includes 16 airports i.e.
the 10 airports listed in Table 11.1 and the airports at Calicut, Guwahati, Jaipur, Lucknow,
Srinagar and Thiruvananthapuram (representing 92% of national passengers).
7.19 One of the main issues faced by the airport operators at Delhi and Mumbai due to the delay in
the establishment of AERA, was the structuring of aeronautical charges, which had been
agreed for a period of two years when the airports were privatised in 2006, assuming a
regulatory authority would have been established by 2008. The economic climate in 2008 and
the accompanying fall in passenger traffic resulted in revenue shortfalls at the airports.
Operators were keen to raise charges to mitigate against this, but the required regulatory
structuring authority did not exist, which resulted in much confusion and controversy, with the
ultimate effect of causing uncertainty in the minds of investors104.
India: Ground handling
7.20 The Airports Authority of India (General Management, Entry for Ground Handling Services)
Regulations, 2000105 set the basis for the regulatory framework in Ground Handling. This
defined ground handling as activities associated with ramp handling, traffic handling and
activities designated by the Chairman to be related to these (the details of items included in
these activities are listed in annexes to the regulations).
101
Govt avoids concession route, Changi to manage Jaipur, Ahmedabad airports for a fee, accessed 30/03/2016,
http://www.firstpost.com/business/govt-avoids-concession-route-changi-to-manage-jaipur-ahmedabad-
airports-for-a-fee-2539082.html
102
About us, accessed 06/04/2016 http://aera.gov.in/content/innerpage/objective--and-functions.php
103
http://aera.gov.in/content/innerpage/faqs.php
104
http://centreforaviation.com/analysis/indias-lack-of-airport-regulation-has-become-a-severe-handicap-a-
vital-role-for-the-aera-6574
105
http://www.aai.aero/public_notices/AI_Ground_Handling_Reulation_2000.pdf
June 2016 | 63
7.21 At the time, there were no privatised airports and as such, these regulations applied to
airports managed by the AAI. The regulations set out that an operator or carrier could carry
out ground handling themselves or by engaging one of the following:
 AAI;
 The two national carriers (at the time) – Air India and Indian Airlines; or
 Any other agency authorised by the AAI.
7.22 For security reasons, they further clarified that entry into the movement/terminal areas for
these activities, would be restricted to the operators/owners of the aircraft and/or their full
time bona fide employees or those of the agencies listed above/agency permitted by AAI to
conduct ground handling activities. The 2000 regulation states the AAI authorises
groundhandling agencies based on financial and technical edibility criteria and the number of
agencies it deems appropriate at each airport.
7.23 Due to the evolving state of affairs concerning the ownership and management of airports
over the period 2004 – 2006 and the privatisation of certain airports, the ground handling
regulation of 2000 was updated in 2007106, to clarify the regulations at these airports, vs.
airports and civil enclaves managed by AAI:
 At “metropolitan airports” i.e. airports in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Bangalore and
Hyderabad, ground handling could be carried out by any of the following:
 AAI or any Joint Venture (JV) company formed with the AAI, or
 A subsidiary of the national carrier or its JV companies specialising in ground handling
(with some specific clauses on the conditions of the JV), or
 A (third party) ground handling company selected through a competitive bidding
process on a revenue sharing basis, subject to certain security and performance
requirements.
 At “non-metropolitan” airports, in addition to the entities specified above, self-handling
was also permitted by airlines, except foreign airlines.
7.24 In effect, this 2007 regulation implied that at “metropolitan airports”, airlines would not be
allowed to self-handle, and that at other airports, foreign airlines would not be allowed to self-
handle. This resulted in strong opposition from airlines, who objected on various grounds such
as the fact that that outsourcing would reduce their control over the quality of customer
facing roles and increase their costs107 and their doubt in the ability of third party handlers to
manage the scale of ground operations. There were also particular objections from foreign
airlines108 and their unions, who would now not be allowed to ground handle at any airport
and hence would lead to large job losses. The argument presented by the Director General of
Civil Aviation (DGCA) against this was that competitive bidding would ensure that the best
agency be put forward for the job.
7.25 In light of these objections, various rounds of stakeholder negotiations were conducted and
the implementation of the 2007 policy was deferred. Numerous updates were issued in 2008
106
http://www.aai.aero/public_notices/AAI_Ground_Handling_Regulation_2007.pdf
107
http://indianexpress.com/article/news-archive/web/airlines-cry-foul-as-aai-races-to-meet-ground-handling-
policy-deadline/
108
http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2008-12-26/news/28438009_1_ground-handling-aircraft-
handling-baggage-handling
June 2016 | 64
and 2009, which were finally superseded in 2010109, when an update to the regulation was
issued, to put a limit on the number of agencies who could undertake ground handling
services at metropolitan airports explained above, by saying that a minimum of two providers
would be authorised at these airports, in addition to subsidiaries of the national carrier. At all
other airports, the clause was the same as before, i.e. all airlines were allowed to self-handle,
except foreign airlines.
7.26 The government, at this point, cited security as one of the main reasons for the restriction of
the number of permitted handlers, as airlines were sub-contracting these activities to multiple
agencies (up to 40 in some cities, at one stage), and limiting the number would enable
improved monitoring of workers110.
7.27 An additional provision in the 2010 amendment was made, stating that all private airlines,
including foreign airlines, would be permitted to undertake self-handling for activities related
to passengers, i.e. “passenger and baggage handling activities at the airport terminals” and
“traffic service including the passenger check-in”. It is likely this was included to allay fears
over the loss of control over customer facing roles. Further, cargo airlines could undertake
self-handling at their hub airports and foreign/private providers could not undertake self/joint
handling at Defence airfields. Again, due to the changing climate of security, more stringent
security measures were also put in place, in this 2010 update.
7.28 However, yet again, there was no change in the clause which prevented airlines from self-
handling at “metropolitan airports” and this was unacceptable to the airlines, who filed a
Petition in the High Court in 2010 through the Federation of Indian Airlines (FIA)111, a body
constituted of scheduled air carriers in India, including the full service carrier Jet Airways and
the low cost carriers Go Air, IndiGo, JetLite and SpiceJet. At the time it also included (the now
disbanded) Kingfisher airlines and its low cost brand, Kingfisher Red.
7.29 The Petition112 demanded a stay in the implementation of the policy on various ground raised
by the FIA, such as the fact that they had been engaged in ground handling since the
commencement of civil aviation in India and have invested in equipment for the same. It
argued against various reasons cited by the government, saying that issues such as security
were being used as an excuse to take these activities out of the remit of the airlines.
7.30 However, the Writ Petition was dismissed by the high court in March 2011, after which the
airlines moved the Supreme Court to stay the High Court order113 (April 2011). The matter was
scheduled for hearing in November 2012, despite pleas by the courts for the airlines and the
government to resolve the issue amicably. To facilitate this, prior to the hearing (in October
2012), the Civil Aviation Minister at the time met with representatives of the airlines filing the
suit. He stated that the policy had been framed “…after approval of Cabinet Committee on
security (CCS) with the prime objective to minimize safety and security risks. This also aims at
109
http://dgca.nic.in/aic/aic03_10.pdf
110
http://centreforaviation.com/analysis/third-party-ground-handling-business-in-india-could-increase-by-
usd130-million-overnight-161630
111
About us, accessed 31/03/16, http://www.fiaindia.in/about.htm
112
http://delhicourts.nic.in/Mar11/Federation%20of%20Indian%20Airlines%20Vs%20UOI.pdf
113
http://www.dnaindia.com/money/report-private-airlines-move-supreme-court-on-ground-handling-policy-
1528359
June 2016 | 65
bringing economies of scale, ensure optimal utilization of personnel and equipment and bring
standardization…”114. He further clarified that airlines could create their own subsidiaries and
participate in the selection process to become the designated handlers but outsourcing would
not be permitted for security reasons.
7.31 Nonetheless, the matter proceeded to the Supreme Court and to date (April 2016), there has
been no ruling on the matter. In 2015, a new draft National Civil Aviation Policy115 was
published which proposed to replace the 2010 policy, removing the proposed upper limit on
the number of agencies and stipulated that airports will have ‘at least three Ground Handling
Agencies including Air India’s subsidiary/JV at an airport to ensure fair competition’. No
maximum limit is stipulated in the draft policy.
7.32 The 2015 draft policy also proposed to permit domestic airlines to carry out self-handling
themselves or through their subsidiaries (but instituting that ground handling staff would be
on the rolls of the airlines/their subsidiaries and not of external manpower suppliers). This
however remains a draft policy and has yet to be passed by the government.
Market Information
7.33 The market shares of the major companies in the Indian ground handling market for ramp and
passenger services are shown in Figure 7.1 and Figure 7.2 respectively.
Figure 7.1: Indian ground handling market share by company (ramp)
IndiGo Air
AI SATS
13.5%
13.5% Jet Airways
SpiceJet
Air India
50.5% Globe India
5.4% Go Air
Bhadra International India
4.6% Celebi
2.6% 3.8% Various
0.9% 2.3% n.a.
1.1% 1.7%
Source: Estimation based on internet search and information obtained from stakeholdersEstimation based on
internet search and information obtained from stakeholders
114
http://pib.nic.in/newsite/mbErel.aspx?relid=88622
115
http://www.civilaviation.gov.in/sites/default/files/Revised_Draft_NCAP%202015_30Oct2015_1.pdf
June 2016 | 66
Figure 7.2: Indian ground handling market share by company (passenger)
IndiGo Air
AI SATS
Jet Airways
13.5%
13.2% SpiceJet
Air India
50.5% Globe India

Go Air
5.4%
Bhadra International India
4.6% Celebi
3.8% Various
2.3%
n.a.
1.7%
2.9% 0.9% 1.1%
Source: Estimation based on internet search and information obtained from stakeholdersEstimation based on
internet search and information obtained from stakeholders
7.34 We estimate the total value of the Indian ground handling market, to be €246 million for ramp
and passenger services combined. Market share and size estimates have been developed in
line with the methodology described on page 34. We note that this estimation is based on
turnaround costs for the USA adjusted for purchasing power parity using World Bank data.
However based on market commentary, we consider this may be an underestimate.
7.35 The Indian ground handling market is dominated by the major airlines’ own ground handling
operations, which currently self-handle the majority of their own domestic or international
operations, as well as providing some services for other airlines. The primary market for third
party service providers are foreign airlines, which are currently prohibited from self-handling
their own operations. If Indian airlines had been prohibited from self-handling at metropolitan
airports, as was proposed in the 2007 regulation, the size market for third party ground
handling services would have increased significantly. However, the 2015 draft policy document
states that Indian airlines are free to self-handle any airport, which means they will continue
to dominate the Indian ground handling market.
7.36 Table 7.6 indicates the agencies that are authorised ground handlers at the metropolitan
airports. There are a number of EU companies active in the ground handling market in India,
as indicated in the table, including Worldwide Flight Services (France), NOVIA (Denmark),
Globeground (Germany), and Menzies (UK). This involvement tends to take the form of a
partnership with a local company, which another ground handling company stated to us was
standard practice for them when operating outside of the EU, as it helped with the
management of local issues, such as labour laws.
June 2016 | 67
Table 7.6: Authorised Ground Handlers at Metro Airports
Metro Airport Authorised Ground Handlers Additional Comments

50:50 joint venture between Air India Limited and
AISATS
Singapore Airport Terminal Services (SATS Ltd)
Consortium of French based Worldwide Flight Services and
Delhi Bird – Worldwide Flight Services
an Indian company The Bird Group
Cambata Aviation Indian Firm
Celebi Ground Handling Delhi Turkish ground handling firm
Air India
Mumbai Cambata Aviation
Celebi – NAS Airport Services
Air India
Indian based company partnered with NOVIA (from
Chennai Bhadra International
Denmark)
Cambata Aviation
AISATS
Bangalore Joint venture between GlobeGround (German company)
GlobeGround
and the Indian company Bird Group
AISATS
Joint venture between Menzies Aviation headquartered in
Hyderabad London (Menzies Aviation is a full subsidiary of John
Menzies Bobba Ground Handling
Menzies Plc established in Edinburgh) and an Indian
company Bobba Group.
Air India
Kolkata
Bhadra International
116
Source: CAPA
116
http://centreforaviation.com/analysis/third-party-ground-handling-business-in-india-could-increase-by-usd130-
million-overnight-161630
June 2016 | 68
8 Case study: Japan
Introduction
8.1 In this chapter we provide the market analysis for airport ownership and management and
ground handling in Japan.
Context
8.2 As of April 2015, there are 97 airports in Japan. The 20 busiest commercial airports in Japan by
passenger numbers are listed in Table 8.1.
117
Table 8.1: Busiest 20 commercial Service Airports by passenger numbers in Japan, CY 2014
Rank Prefecture Airport Passengers (total)

1 Tokyo Tokyo International Haneda 74,214,987
2 Chiba Narita International 32,659,711
3 Fukuoka Fukuoka 20,004,320
4 Osaka Kansai International 19,931,720
5 Hokkaido New Chitose 19,530,561
6 Okinawa Naha 17,530,709
7 Osaka Osaka International 14,620,934
8 Aichi Chubu Centrair International 9,812,827
9 Kagoshima Kagoshima 5,171,676
10 Miyagi Sendai 3,239,570
11 Kumamoto Kumamoto 3,106,918
12 Nagasaki Nagasaki 3,008,599
13 Miyazaki Miyazaki 2,857,500
14 Ehime Matsuyama 2,843,575
15 Hiroshima Hiroshima 2,721,204
16 Hyogo Kobe 2,446,455
17 Okinawa Ishigaki 2,320,699
18 Ishikawa Komatsu 2,314,347
19 Oita Oita 1,769,647
20 Kagawa Takamatsu 1,761,608
117
MLIT, Report on airport operation situation, accessed 15th March, 2016.
http://www.mlit.go.jp/common/001100617.pdf
June 2016 | 69
8.3 Historically, Japanese airports are classified under the ownership and management of the
Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT). 118 In 2008, under the
New Airport Act 2008, the airports were re-classified into six categories according to the
operator/owner of the airport, listed following and described further in Table 8.2:
 corporatisation airports;
 central government airports;
 specific local government airports;
 local government airports;
 joint-use airport; and
 others.
Table 8.2: Classification of airports in Japan according to Airport Law
Classification Number Characteristic

Managed by airport corporation: Narita International, Kansai
Corporatisation airports 4 International , Osaka International Airport, Chubu Centrair
International Airport
Major
Central government119
airports 19 Owned and managed by MLIT
airports
Specific local government
5 Owned by MLIT but managed by local government
airports
Local government airports 54 Owned and managed by local government
Shared by Japan Self-Defence Forces or U.S. Armed Forces
Joint-use airports 8
and scheduled flight as civil aviation
Others 7 Managed by MLIT and local government
120
Source: MLIT , Steer Davies Gleave analysis
Japan: Airport ownership

Overview
8.4 In this section we provide an overview of the airport ownership and management at Japan’s
airports. The legal framework has evolved, and over the last two years private sector
involvement has been introduced for the first time though long term concession agreements.
8.5 Following the introduction of the Airport Development Act in 1967, the majority of airports in
Japan are owned and operated by public entities (i.e. central and local government). Following
the introduction of the Act there were a small number of ‘corporatisation’ airports, which are
airports that are publically owned but operated and managed on a commercial basis:
 Kansai International Airport;
 Narita International Airport;
 Chubu Centrair International Airport (which was privatised in 1998); and
118 th
Airport location map, accessed 20 March 2016. http://www.mlit.go.jp/common/001085993.pdf
119
Kato et al. (2011) Current accounts of Japanese airports, Journal of Air Transport Management 17,
pp.88-93.
120
Airport location map, accessed 20th March 2016. http://www.mlit.go.jp/common/001085993.pdf
June 2016 | 70
 Osaka International airport.
8.6 With the exception of these corporatisation airports, there was no example in Japan of a single
entity that fully operates and manages the entire airport. A.Graham in Managing Airports
describes the situation for Japanese airports, historically, as follows:
“Japanese airports are unusual in that their scope of business is limited by law, which means
that the non-aeronautical facilities (such as the passenger or cargo terminal buildings and car
parking) are managed by different entities from the basic aeronautical facilities (such as
runways, taxiways and aprons). These commercial assets are usually run by mixed
public/private corporations, primarily as a result of the shortage of available government
funding for terminals when the airport industry in Japan began to expand rapidly in the 1950s
and 1960s. It is only at Narita International Airport, Kansai International Airport and Chubu
Centrair International Airport where there is integrated management that has responsibility for
both the airfield and terminal facilities.”121
8.7 An overview of the different operating and management entity models is provided in Table
8.3. For central government airports which are owned and operated by central government,
basic facilities, including the airport’s beacon, air traffic control, and security facilities are
managed by central government. Passenger terminals, cargo terminals, parking lots, and other
facilities are operated/managed by private corporations, foundations (General Incorporated
Foundations), and the third sector122. Where airport terminal buildings are concerned, third
sector usually consists of local government, local companies and airlines.
123
Table 8.3: Entities of operating and managing airports in Japan
Airport
Airport classification Owner Operator/administrator
infrastructure
Basic Narita International Airport Corporation

Entire airport
facility, New Kansai International Airport

Airport
terminal Corporatisation airports Corporation
corporation
building, Chubu Centrair International Airport
etc. Corporation
Central government airports,
Basic facility MLIT MLIT, Ministry of Defence
Joint-use airports
(runway,
Aeronautical facilities
taxiway, Specific local government

Prefectures Local government of each prefecture and
apron) operated airports, local
and cities cities
government airports, others
Airport
security All airports MLIT MLIT
facilities
Airport Central government airports,
MLIT MLIT
beacon joint-use airports
121
Graham, A: Managing Airports 4th Edition – An international perspective, Routledge (2014)
122
In the Japanese context, “first sector” refers to government, “second sector” to private corporations,
and “third sector” to mixed corporation with private and public sector
123
加藤一誠・引頭雄一・山内芳樹編著:空港経営と地域－航空・空港政策のフロンティア、成
山堂書店(2014) (Book “Airport Management and Region – Airline/Airport Policy Frontier”)
June 2016 | 71
Airport
Airport classification Owner Operator/administrator
infrastructure
Specific local government
Prefectures Local government of each prefecture and
airports, local government
and cities cities
airports, others
Private
corporation Passenger terminal building corporation (a
Terminal All airports except for
including number of small sized airports are operated
building corporatisation airports
third by local public corporations)
124
sector
Passenger facilities
Airport environment improvement general

Foundation, incorporated foundation, Passenger
Central government airports private terminal building corporation, other private
corporation corporations (partially run by airport owner
Parking lot if it is free to use, such as a free parking lot)
Passenger terminal building corporation,
Specific local government Foundation,
and other private corporations (partially
airports, local government private
run by airport owner if it is free to use, such
airports, others, and joint-use corporation
as a free parking lot)
8.8 The current revision of the Local Autonomy Law has resulted in a number of Public-Private
Partnerships (PPP) being introduced, for example Shizuoka Airport, where partial management
and administrative processing jobs are conducted by Shizuoka Airport Corporation under
contract management.
Regulatory framework for private investment
8.9 The Airport Law in Japan covers matters concerning the establishment, management, and
sharing of airport costs and promotion of the development of civil aviation. The law was
passed as Law No. 80 on April 20, 1956 and was significantly revised on June 18, 2008 when it
was renamed the Airport Law125. Airport ownership is defined in detail in this law.
8.10 Whilst there are a small number of corporatisation airports in Japan, ownership of these
airports remains with Japanese central government. As an example, Narita International
Airport Corporation is a 100% government owned entity. Indeed, the Japanese government
has retained ownership of all airports in Japan, with the exception of Chubu Centrair
International Airport (discussed further below). Beyond Chubu Centrair International Airport,
all private sector involvement in Japanese airports is through a conventional ‘concession’
arrangement; these arrangements therefore are discussed under the following section on
Airport Management.
8.11 Air traffic control facilities at all Japanese airports, regardless of airport classification, are
operated by central government, and basic facilities such as runways, taxiways and aprons, are
operated by airport establisher/owner.
124
Third sector: corporations established jointly by MLIT or local governments and the private
sector,Definition and Management of the Third Sector in Japan, Fusao Ushihiro. (2011). (available online
at http://www.rieti.go.jp/jp/publications/dp/11j027.pdf)
125
NRI report, Iakyara vol. 198, Shingo Mochimaru, 10th June, 2014, Infrastructure investment by
Japanese institutional investors poised to grow,
https://www.nri.com/~/media/PDF/global/opinion/lakyara/2014/lkr2014198.pdf
June 2016 | 72
2011 Private Finance Initiative Law
8.12 The adoption of the 2011 Private Finance Initiative Law (PFI Law) and the public infrastructure
concession framework has enabled private investment in airports126 in Japan. A review of the
PFI Law has shown that there are no particular legal conditions or specific barriers relating to
private investment in airports in Japan, and there are no limits to the share in the capital of an
airport that can be privately owned. There are also no legal restrictions for private investments
into airports based on the nationality of the investor or the place of establishment of investor.
8.13 However, in practice, as described in this section, any private investment in airports in Japan is
limited to the government’s (as owner) decision regarding the scope of any PPP venture.
Market situation
8.14 There are no fully privately owned airports in Japan. With the exception of Chubu Centrair
International Airport, private involvement in Japanese airports remains limited to concessions,
and those few airports with private investment remain partially or fully owned by government
and ‘corporatised’.
Corporatised and privatised: Chubu Centrair International Airport
8.15 The Chubu Centrair International Airport (near Nagoya) project was Japan’s first real venture
into privatisation by way of a private finance initiative. The Central Japan International Airport
Corporation (CJIAC) was established in 1998 with capital of almost US$ 1 billion. Consortium
arrangements were split approximately 40% central government; 10% local authorities and
50% the private sector, including national banks, prominent companies based in the Nagoya
region and major national companies such as Toyota127. In 2012, ownership details were as
follows:
 39.99% central government;
 5.87% Aichi Prefecture;
 3.22% Mitsubishi Tokyo UFG Bank;
 2.98% Chubu Electric Power;
 2.98% Tokai Passenger Rail;
 2.98% Toyota;
 2.98% Nagoya Rail;
 2.83% Nagoya City;
 0.89% Mizuho Corporate Bank;
 0.71% Denso;
 0.71% Toho Gas; and
 0.71% Nihon Gaishi.128
8.16 All members of the consortium are Japanese.
127
Kansai and Osaka Itami lead Japan’s ambitious airport privatisation programme – with 2020 the
target (7th September, 2014), http://centreforaviation.com/analysis/kansai-and-osaka-itami-lead-
japans-ambitious-airport-privatisation-moves---with-2020-the-target-185261
128
2012 Marketable Securities Report: Chubu International Airport Corporation. Available at:
http://www.centrair.jp/corporate/ir/pdf/hr2012.pdf
June 2016 | 73
Japan: Airport management
8.17 Japan has different management structures for airports depending on their classification. An
overview of the management arrangements for Japanese airports is provided in Table 8.3.
8.18 Any private involvement in airport management in Japan is via a time-limited concession.
8.19 The PFI (Private Finance Initiative) law was established in 1999 as part of the Japanese
government’s fiscal reconstruction measures. The 2011 amendment129 130 introduced
concession schemes for the first time in Japan.
8.20 Along with the PFI law amendment in 2011, the “law concerning the operation and others of
central government airports and other airports utilising private sector’s capability”131 was
implemented from 25 July, 2013. This specific legislative action covering characteristics of
airport operation such as safety and user protection was required to ensure the applicability of
the PFI law to private management for airports via concessions. As a result, during the 2015
fiscal year, for the first time in Japan two "corporatised airports" were specified for
concessions: Kansai International Airport and Osaka International Airport132, with Sendai
Airport following shortly afterwards.
8.21 Under the concession arrangements in Japan, a time-limited transfer of infrastructure assets
occurs from the previous owner to the new concessionaire. However this is limited to
terminals only; in all cases, the aeronautical infrastructure (runways, aprons, etc.) remains
managed by the government.
8.22 Under a concession arrangement, the concessionaire has the authority to make decisions
regarding airline/airport marketing, as well as landing and parking charges for aircraft.
Terminal building design and future infrastructure investment is also within the remit of the
concessionaire. The concessionaire may also independently make management decisions
regarding matters such as setting user fees, maintenance and management of the facility, and
replacement of equipment.
8.23 No investors from foreign countries have been involved in airport infrastructure
developments, in Japan, however, as described in this section, foreign investors have been
involved in airport concessions. There are currently no BOT models in practice in Japan,
although as noted above, concessionaires may make infrastructure decisions within the remit
of their concession contract.
129
MLIT, Reforming airport management for regional activation, accessed 15th March, 2016. (available
at http://www.mlit.go.jp/common/000993911.pdf)
130
運輸・交通インフラと民力活用 : PPP/PFIのファイナンスとガバナンス (Book: “Transportation
and Infrastructure and National Resources Utilization: Finance and Governance of PPP/PFI ”)
131
民間の能力を活用した国管理空港などの運営等に関する法律、平成二十五年法律第六十七号 (Law: law
concerning the operation and others of central government airports and other airports utilizing private sector’s
st
capability), http://law.e-gov.go.jp/htmldata/H25/H25HO067.html, accessed March 31 , 2016
132
いよいよ始まる国内インフラ事業の投資機, 2015年7月号, 経営革新コンサルティング部上席
研究員持丸伸吾, http://fis.nri.co.jp/ja-
JP/publication/kinyu_itf/backnumber/2015/07/201507_06.html (Report: Beginning of Investment
Stage in Domestic Infrastructure Business )
June 2016 | 74
8.24 There are currently five airports in Japan that are either corporatised, or corporatised and
have private involvement to an extent:
 Corporatisation: Narita International Airport
 Corporatisation and privatisation: Chubu Centrair International Airport
 Corporatisation and concession: Kansai International Airport, Osaka International Airport
and Sendai Airport.
8.25 Details of the arrangements for Chubu Centrair are provided under airport ownership above,
and for Narita and the concessioned airports, below.
Corporatised and remaining government owned: Narita International Airport
8.26 Narita International Airport is corporatised, meaning that the airport is publicly owned but
operated and managed on a commercial basis. The airport was previously owned and
managed by a public corporation, the New Tokyo International Airport Authority, until the
adoption of the Narita International Corporation Act (2003) to prepare for the corporatisation
of the airport. Following this a new authority, the Narita International Airport Corporation
(NIAA) took over ownership and management of the airport in 2004133. NIAA remains a 100%
government-owned public corporation134.
Concession: Kansai International Airport and Osaka International Airport
8.27 In the 2010 National Transportation Growth Strategy, Kansai International Airport was advised
to raise its value by enhancing its operational capability and strengthening its position as an
international hub, with a concession arrangement and solution to its debt burden
recommended. As a result, the New Kansai International Airport Corporation (NKIAC) was
established on 1 April 2012 in order to integrate the operation of Kansai International Airport
and Osaka International Airport. Osaka International Airport was included in the entity as a
profitable airport that would improve the appeal of the entity for private organisations
interested in taking on the concession.
8.28 Whilst the NKIAC remains a 100% government-owned public corporation, a competition was
held to appoint a private concessionaire in 2015. The NKIAC announced the selection of a
consortium led by ORIX and VINCI Airports, with 30 other companies, to take over the
concession of Kansai International Airport and Osaka International Airport on 10 November
2015.
8.29 ORIX and VINCI Airports each hold a 40% shareholding and local minority shareholder
companies from the Kansai region hold the remaining 20%135. The consortium contracted a
basic agreement in December 2015, and started operating on 1 April 2016. The concession
133
Graham, A: Managing Airports 4th Edition – An international perspective, Routledge (2014)
134
Kansai and Osaka Itami lead Japan’s ambitious airport privatisation programme – with 2020 the
target (7th September, 2014), http://centreforaviation.com/analysis/kansai-and-osaka-itami-lead-
japans-ambitious-airport-privatisation-moves---with-2020-the-target-185261
135
The concessionaire company formed by ORIX and VINCI Airports has signed the agreement for the
th
concession of Osaka and Kansai International Airports (Japan), Accessed 20 March 2016.
http://www.vinci-airports.com/en/news/concessionaire-company-formed-orix-and-vinci-airports-has-
signed-agreement-concession-osaka-and
June 2016 | 75
period lasts until 31 March, 2060136. The new operator will pay 49 billion yen annually
(approximately €380 million) for 44 years to run the two airports137. The total contract amount
is 2.2 trillion yen.
Concession: Sendai Airport
8.30 Sendai Airport will begin its operation as a concession in June 2016. Its operator, "Sendai
International Airport Corporation", was established by Toyota Tsusho and Tokyu group Maeda
Construction Corporation138139.
8.31 Operational rights to the airport have been sold for a total 2.2 billion yen deal (approximately
€17 million).140 The transaction is recognised as the first time that the Japanese government
has used a public-service concession to sell operational rights to a key piece of infrastructure
to the private sector. The project period for these concessions is expected to be 30 years, with
an option to extend to 65 years.
8.32 Consortium members are as follows:
 Tokyu Group has a 54% stake in the new airport operator. Tokyu's railway operating arm,
Tokyu Corporation, has a 42% stake, with the remainder of Tokyu Group’s stake held by
Tokyu Land, advertising arm Tokyu Agency, Tokyu Construction and Tokyu Community.
 General contractor Maeda has a 30% stake; and
 Trading house Toyota Tsusho holds 16%.141
Future plans
8.33 It has been reported in Japanese media that the Japanese government is considering selling
concessions for nearly 10 other airports throughout Japan, including those in Kobe, Fukuoka,
Takamatsu, Hiroshima and Shizuoka142.Hokkaido is also under consideration, with MLIT and
136
関空と伊丹空港の運営権売却、オリックス連合に,山田雅子＝ライター, 11th November, 2015.
http://www.nikkeibp.co.jp/atcl/tk/15/433782/111100154/ (Report: Selling Operation Rights of Kansai
International Airport and Itami International Airport to Orix coalition)
137 th
Can privatization turn KIA around? The Japan Times, November 24 , 2015.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion/2015/11/24/editorials/can-privatization-turn-kia-
around/#.VvJbEOKLSM8
138
Report, My Navi News, 「空港民営化元年」関空・伊丹と仙台はどう変わる? - 利用者メリット
の行方, 武藤康史 [2016/03/11] (News: First Year of Airport Privatization in Japan: How will Kansai
International Airport/Itami International Airport and Sendai Airport change?)
139
Sendai airport and Tokyu Dentetsu: http://www.tokyu.co.jp/company/news/list/?id=2355,
http://response.jp/article/2015/09/25/260645.html, http://www.aviationwire.jp/archives/69770
140
東京商工リサーチ（TSR）「2014年度空港ターミナルビル経営動向」調査
http://blogos.com/article/148092/, (Investigation on Current State of 2014 Airport Terminal
Management)
141
Consortium hopes to create a Northeast Asian hub, Yoichiro Hiroi,
http://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Trends/Consortium-hopes-to-create-a-Northeast-Asian-hub
rd
(December 20th, 2015) Accessed at March 23 , 2016.
142
NRI report, Iakyara vol. 198, Shingo Mochimaru, 10th June, 2014, Infrastructure investment by
Japanese institutional investors poised to grow,
https://www.nri.com/~/media/PDF/global/opinion/lakyara/2014/lkr2014198.pdf
June 2016 | 76
the Hokkaido local government considering selling concessions in 4 or more airports as one
group company, due to Hokkaido being an island region.
Foreign ownership
8.34 As noted above, private involvement of companies based outside Japan is possible under
concession arrangements. Some issues with non-Japanese investment in airports were raised
when the Japan Airport Terminal Corporation raised foreign funds in 2007143, however recent
practice has proven otherwise, with the award of the Kansai concession to a consortium
including ORIX and VINCI, a French airport operator.
8.35 Despite this practice, it has been noted that the Japanese government does not necessarily
welcome significant participation of foreign companies in Japan's infrastructure business, due
to concerns about national issues such as security.144
Japan: Ground handling
8.36 No legislation regulating the access to the ground handling market in Japan was found, either
at national or regional level.
8.37 No formal restriction concerning nationality and place of establishment for ground handling
providers was found to be in place in Japan.
8.38 In Japan, historically, the ground handling market has been mainly comprised of local
companies and it has been difficult for foreign companies to enter the market. This is because
the usual practice to obtain a ground handling contract is based on a negotiation between
ground handling companies and airline companies, with the major airlines (JAL and ANA)
dominating the ground handling market themselves145. Usually, airports do not control access
to ground handling services.
8.39 However, the situation changed in 2006 when Swissport International took over the business
activities of Japan-based ground handling company ShinMaywa Ground Services. This
company operates at many of Japan’s major airports, including Chubu Centrair International
Airport, Narita International Airport, and Kansai International Airport.146 Despite this change,
there remains almost no other international ground handling organisation presence in the
Japanese market; the market is difficult for foreign operators to access in practice due to the
dominance of the local airlines.
143
加藤一誠・引頭雄一・山内芳樹編著:空港経営と地域－航空・空港政策のフロンティア、成
山堂書店(2014) (Book “Airport Management and Region – Airline/Airport Policy Frontier”)
144
いよいよ始まる国内インフラ事業の投資機, 2015年7月号, 経営革新コンサルティング部上席
研究員持丸伸吾, http://fis.nri.co.jp/ja-
JP/publication/kinyu_itf/backnumber/2015/07/201507_06.html (Report: Beginning of Investment
Stage in Domestic Infrastructure Business )
145
Difference in ground handling in the global market, project, department of automotive and
aeronautical engineering, Yik Lun Tan, 1st December, 2010, Hamburg University of Applied Sciences,
http://www.fzt.haw-hamburg.de/pers/Scholz/arbeiten/TextLunTan.pdf
146
Swissport Strengthens its Asian presence by Acquiring a Ground Handling Company in Japan, AUG 3,
2006, http://www.aviationpros.com/news/10437786/swissport-strengthens-its-asian-presence-by-
acquiring-a-ground-handling-company-in-japan
June 2016 | 77
Market information
Market size and shares
8.40 The market shares of the major companies in the Japanese ground handling market for ramp
Figure 8.1: Japanese ground handling market share by company (ramp)
ANA
JAL
JAL Ground Service
Skymark Airlines
31.0% 31.4%
JAL Ground Service Osaka
JAL Ground Service Kyushu
Swissport
Jasco
5.9%
Jetstar Airways
1.2% Various
12.6%
1.4%
n.a.
1.8%
1.8% 2.2% 3.1% 7.6%
Figure 8.2: Japanese ground handling market share by company (passenger)
ANA
JAL
JAL Ground Service
31.0% 31.5% Skymark Airlines

JAL Ground Service Osaka
JAL Ground Service Kyushu
Swissport
7.1% HTS
11.8%
1.2% Jetstar Airways
1.1% 7.6%
1.7% Various
1.5% 2.4% 3.1%
8.41 We estimate the total value of the Japanese ground handling market to be €2.1 billion for
June 2016 | 78
on page 34.
Airline self-handling
8.43 In Japan, major airlines such as Japan Airlines (JAL) and All Nippon Airways (ANA) have
established ground handling subsidiaries, usually by airport (as shown in Table 8.4, Table 8.5
and Table 8.6).
8.44 At major international airports where foreign airlines operate, such as Tokyo International
Airport, Narita International Airport, Kansai International Airport, and Chubu Centrair
International Airport, it is common for foreign airlines to request local airlines (such as JAL or
ANA) to perform ground handling services under contract. The subsidiary ground handling
companies owned by the major local airlines then conduct the service. On occasion, foreign
airlines may directly contract with domestic ground handling companies.
Overview of activities of major ground handling companies
8.45 As noted above, the major ground handling companies in Japan tend to be subsidiaries of
airlines (JAL and ANA). Airline practice tends to be to establish separate companies at one or
more airports. Locations of the major ground handling companies in Japan are presented in
the tables following.
Table 8.4: JAL Group ground handling companies
(1) Company (2) Airport

(5) Tokyo International Airport,
(4) JAL Ground Service Tokyo
(6) Narita International Airport
(3) JAL Ground
Service* (7) JAL Ground Service Osaka (8) Osaka International Airport
(9) JAL Ground Service Kyushu (10) Fukuoka International Airport
(12) Tokyo International Airport,
(11) JAL Sky**
(13) Narita International Airport
(14) JAL Sky Osaka (15) Osaka International Airport
* mainly provides passenger handling, freight/luggage handling, marshalling, cabin service

** provides counter service, traffic handling, luggage claim service, airline lounge service, load control of air cargo
and luggage.
Table 8.5: ANA Group ground handling companies

(18) ANA Narita Airport Service (19) Narita International Airport
(20) ANA Airport Service (21) Tokyo International Airport
(22) ANA Centrair Airport (23) Chubu Centrair International Airport
(24) ANA Kansai Airrpot (25) Kansai International Airport
(26) ANA Fukuoka Airport (27) Fukuoka International Airport
Table 8.6: Other ground handling companies
(30) Haneda Airport Service Haneda Airport (31) Tokyo International Airport
Group (Nb. Company is Service
June 2016 | 79
completely separate from Haneda Airport Global
(32) Tokyo International Airport
the Airport) Service
(34) Tokyo International Airport, Narita International
(33) Taiyo Maintenance
Airport
Subsidiaries serve mainly Chubu Centrair International
(35) Suzuyo Group (Japanese logistics company)
Airport and other regional airports.
(37) Subsidiaries serve mainly Kansai International Airport
(36) Kounoikegumi Group
and Tokyo International Airport
8.46 There are also a number of independent ground handling companies in operation in Japan,
including:
 Showtoku Corporation147, providing services at Narita International Airport and Tokyo
International Airport;
 Japan Airport Service Corporation (JASCO)148;
 Kansai Air Cargo Center;
 Haneda Air Ground handling;
 Haneda Turtle Service149: Fukuoka Airport, Tokyo International Airport, and others; and
 FMG Corporation150: provision of services at Narita International Airport, Tokyo
International Airport, Kansai International Airport, and other major airports in Japan.
Major clients are Aeroflot Russian Airlines, Aeromexico, Air France, Alitalia, ANA, Austrian,
Cathy Pacific, Delta Airlines, and etc.
8.47 Currently, only two international ground handling companies are present in Japan: Universal
Aviation151 (USA) and Swissport (Switzerland). As noted above, Swissport International took
over the business activities of Japan-based ground handling company ShinMaywa Ground
Services in 2006. Swissport now operates at many of Japan’s major airports through this local
partner, including Chubu Centrair International Airport, Narita International Airport, and
Kansai International Airport and Tokyo International Airport.152 Details are provided in Table
8.7.
Table 8.7: Swissport Japan’s operations and customer airlines in Japan
Airport Customer airline
Chubu Centrair
Northwest Airlines, Finnair , Cathaypacific, Jeju Air, Jetstar Japan, Cebu Pacific Air, Lucky
International
Air, V Air
Airport
147 st
Showtoku Corporation, http://www.syoutoku.co.jp/ , accessed at 31 March, 2016
148 st
Japan Airport Service Corporation: http://www.jasco-ghs.co.jp/, accessed 31 March, 2016
149 st
Haneda Turtle Service: http://www.haneda-turtle.co.jp/, accessed 31 March, 2016
150 st
FMG Corporation: http://fmg.sc/07_english/, accessed 31 March, 2016
151
Universal Aviation Japan: https://www.universalaviation.aero/ground-support-
st
locations/japan/tokyo/RJTT/#tabs, accessed 31 March, 2016
152
Swissport Strengthens its Asian presence by Acquiring a Ground Handling Company in Japan, AUG 3,
2006, http://www.aviationpros.com/news/10437786/swissport-strengthens-its-asian-presence-by-
acquiring-a-ground-handling-company-in-japan
June 2016 | 80
Airport Customer airline
Kansai FedEx, Northwest Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Turkish Airlines, Jetstar Japan, Jetstar Airways,
International Jetstar Asia, Hongkong Airlines, Alitalia Airline, Panalpina, Beijing Capital Airlines, Air Asia X,
Airport Thai AirAsia X, Far Eastern Air Transport, Eastar Jet, HK Express, Qatar Airways, V Air
Narita Cathaypacific, Turkish Airlines, Virgin Atlantic Airways, Jetstar Asia , S7 Airlines, Jeju Air,
International Panalpina, Asia Atlantic Airlines, Expeditors, Cebu Pacific Air, Air Incheon, Aurora, Air Asia
Airport X, Thai AirAsia X, Hainan Airlines, LOT Polish Airlines
Tokyo
International American Airline
Airport
8.48 Many of ground handling service operators are subsidiaries of major Japanese airlines, with
ANA and JAL each having over 10 subsidiaries. Most subsidiaries are named as combination of
holding company name and airport name and usually serve a targeted airport. However these
companies are not always limited to operations at one airport, and instead are active at
several airports. For example, JAL Sky Kyushu provides ground handling services at Fukuoka
International Airport, Nagasaki Airport, Kumamoto Airport, Miyazaki Airport and Oita Airport.
8.49 In Japan, airports have almost no presence in the ground handling market, and whilst there
might be one or two exceptions to the rule, airports tend not to provide ground handling
themselves.
8.50 Japanese airports, in particular the larger airports, tend to have a number of ground handling
companies in operation at the airport. As an example, major ground handling operators for
Narita International Airport are shown in Table 8.8. Interestingly the list includes one foreign
airline (Delta) that self-provides at the airport.
153154
Table 8.8: Ground handling operators at Narita Airport
Ground handling Company Origin
All Nippon Airways Japan
Delta Airlines USA
Japan Airlines Japan
Japan Airport Service Japan
Swissport Switzerland
8.51 The domination of the major Japanese airlines in the provision of ground handling services at
airports in Japan does result in situations where competition is limited, even if there are
multiple ground handlers at an airport. This is more likely to occur at smaller airports than the
larger ones according to a number of stakeholders' views.
153
The IATA Ground Handling Council (IGHC) Directory, http://www.iata.org/publications/ighc-
st
directory/Pages/index.aspx?all=all, accessed 31 March, 2016
154
Companies Providing Ground Handling Services,
st
http://www.naa.jp/en/b2b/fap/handling/companies.html, accessed 31 March, 2016
June 2016 | 81
9 Case study: Mexico
Introduction
9.1 In this chapter we provide an analysis of the airport ownership and management and ground
handling regulatory framework and market information in Mexico.
Context
9.2 Mexico is the second biggest country in Latin America by population with over 120 million
inhabitants. The current government’s National Development Plan155 has as an objective to
make Mexico the most important logistical hub in the region. To achieve this, several
infrastructure programmes are underway; the largest is the construction of a new Mexico City
airport, which is scheduled to be completed in 2020 and projected to handle over 50 million
passengers per year in the short term. In addition Mexico is an important tourist and business
destination for which air travel is an important mode of transport.
9.3 The above is reflected in the consistent growth of air travel within and to the country;
numerous international airlines having scheduled flights to multiple cities in Mexico and new
air routes constantly being opened.
9.4 Mexico has 58 commercial airports, of which 4 (6.9%) are domestic, and 54 (93.1%) are
international, which includes 5 international airports in the top 30 busiest airports in Latin
America156.
9.5 In 2015, Mexico’s commercial airports handled more than 113 million passengers. Mexico City
international Airport is the largest airport in Mexico and handled more than 38 million
passengers156 in 2015. Table 9.1 lists the twenty busiest airports in Mexico by 2015 passenger
numbers.
Table 9.1: Commercial Service Airports with highest number of arriving and departing passengers in 2015
2015 Arriving &

Rank City Airport Name Departing Annual Growth
Passengers
1 Mexico City Mexico City International Airport 38,430,494 12.2%
2 Cancun Cancun International Airport 19,596,485 12.3%
3 Guadalajara Guadalajara International Airport 9,758,516 12.2%
4 Monterrey Monterrey International Airport 8,461,917 18.7%
5 Tijuana Tijuana International Airport 4,853,797 11.0%
155
http://pnd.gob.mx/
156
http://marcopolos21.com/2015/04/30-aeropuertos-america-latina-mas-importantes/
June 2016 | 82
2015 Arriving &
Rank City Airport Name Departing Annual Growth
Passengers
6 Puerto Vallarta Puerto Vallarta International Airport 3,517,801 15.8%
7 San Jose del Cabo Los Cabos International Airport 3,523,010 12.5%
8 Merida Merida International Airport 1,663,616 15.8%
9 Silao Bajio International Airport 1,472,811 22.4%
10 Culiacan Culiacan International Airport 1,432,315 9.5%
11 Hermosillo Hermosillo International Airport 1,309,796 2.5%
12 Villahermosa Villahermosa International Airport 1,273,140 13.5%
13 Veracruz Veracruz International Airport 1,249,914 8.0%
14 Tuxtla Gutierrez Tuxtla Gutierrez International Airport 1,121,332 20.8%
15 Chihuahua Chihuahua International Airport 1,110,513 15.5%
16 Toluca Toluca International Airport 865,037 -0.2%
17 Ciudad Juarez Ciudad Juarez International Airport 863,760 12.3%
18 Mazatlan Mazatlan International Airport 853,409 8.1%
19 Tampico Tampico International Airport 763,744 10.9%
20 Acapulco Acapulco International Airport 730,382 15.6%
Source: Prepared by Steer Davies Gleave with information from Secretaría de Comunicaciones y Transportes, see
157
footnote
Mexico: Airport ownership

9.6 The “Ley de Aeropuertos” [Airports Law] provides legislation for all matters regarding airports
and aerodromes158, and the “Ley de Aviacion Civil” [Civil Aviation Law] provides legislation for
all matters regarding aviation159.
9.7 According to federal law all matters related to construction, administration and operation of
civil aerodromes falls under the federal jurisdiction of the Secretaria de Comunicaciones y
Transportes [Ministry of Communications and Transport] (SCT), via the Direccion General de
Aeronautica Civil [Directorate General of Civil Aviation] (DGAC). The DGAC has the following
responsibilities160:
 To plan and establish programmes for the development of the national airport network in
accordance to the country’s needs.
 To build, administer and operate airports where needed.
 Grant concessions as well as supervising the concessionaires.
157
http://www.sct.gob.mx/transporte-y-medicina-preventiva/aeronautica-civil/estadisticas/
158
Camara de Diputados del H. Congreso de la Union, Ley de Aeropuertos, Ultima reforma publicada
DOF 21-01-2009
159
Camara de Diputados del H. Congreso de la Union, Ley de Aviacion Civil, Ultima reforma publicada
DOF 05-07-2006
160
Capitulo II De la Autoridad Aeroportuaria, Ley de Aeropuertos, Ultima reforma publicada DOF 21-01-
2009
June 2016 | 83
 Establish air traffic regulations as well as minimum operation conditions and determine
take-off and landing schedules.
arrangements for Mexican airports under airport management.
Mexico: Airport management
9.9 Private investments in airports are mentioned in the airports law, which states that the
Ministry (SCT) can grant concessions to private companies to administer, operate and, when
necessary, build an airport. Concessions may be granted to companies, which must be
established under Mexican law, and will be regulated by SCT. The duration of the concession is
for a period of up to 50 years, with the potential to extend for another 50 years, in cases
where the concessionaire has fulfilled all the requirements established by the SCT161.
9.10 The concession process will be a public tender process, for which the SCT will publish the basis
under which the bidding process will be undertaken. Concessionaires must demonstrate they
have the legal, technical, administrative and financial capability to participate.
9.11 The SCT may also grant permits to a specific person or company, established under Mexican
laws, to administer, operate and construct civil aerodromes for general aviation (non-
commercial use) that differ to airports used for scheduled airline services162.
9.12 Foreign investors interested in bidding for concessions or permits in Mexico may possess up to
49% of the bidding company’s capital. Anything larger must be approved by the Foreign
Investments National Commission, taking into consideration the regional and technological
development benefits arising from the investment, the local environment, and whether
national sovereignty will not be put at risk163.
9.13 Before granting concessions and permits, a special commission, formed of the National
Defence Ministry, the Attorney General and presided over by the Transport Minister, will
review and determine that the concessionaire fulfils all the requirements established by
law164.
Concessioning of airports in Mexico
9.14 Historically, airports in Mexico have been managed and operated by a range of different
entities, including military, state and private organisations. Together they form the National
Airports System.
9.15 Up until 1998, 58 airports in Mexico were administered and operated by a state-owned
company Aeropuertos y Servicios Auxiliares (ASA). However in 1998, the Federal Government
161
Capitulo III, Seccion Primera, De las Concesiones, Ley de Aeropuertos, Ultima reforma publicada DOF
21-01-2009
162
Capitulo III, Seccion Segunda, De los Permisos, Ley de Aeropuertos, Ultima reforma publicada DOF
21-01-2009
163
Capitulo III, Seccion Tercera, Disposiciones comunes, Ley de Aeropuertos, Ultima reforma publicada
DOF 21-01-2009
164
. Capitulo III, Seccion Tercera, Disposiciones comunes, Ley de Aeropuertos, Ultima reforma publicada
DOF 21-01-2009
June 2016 | 84
launched a concessions scheme to grant 34 of the most profitable airports to private
companies.
9.16 In that year concessions were granted for 34 airports. These airports were split into three
groups with each of the three concession groups to be managed by a single concessionaire.
The concession groups were as follows:
 12 airports were granted to Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacifico (GAP);
 13 airports were granted to Grupo Aeroportuario Centro Norte (OMA); and
 9 airports were granted to Grupo Aeroportuario del Sureste (ASUR).
9.17 Each concession was granted for a 50 year period and, though belonging to a concession
group, each airport concession was let to the overall concessionaire individually. Further
information on each of these concession groups is provided in the following section (Private
Investors). The airports administered and operated by the different groups are as shown in
Table 9.2165:
Table 9.2: Airports administered and operated by each private concessionaire
Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacifico Grupo Aeroportuario Centro Norte Grupo Aeroportuario del Sureste
(GAP): (OMA): (ASUR):
Aguascalientes Airport Acapulco Airport Huatulco Airport
Guadalajara Airport Chihuahua Airport Cancun Airport
Hermosillo Airport Ciudad Juarez Airport Cozumel Airport
La Paz Airport Culiacan Airport Merida Airport
Bajio Airport Durango Airport Minatitlan Airport
Los Mochis Airport Zihuatanejo Airport Oaxaca Airport
Manzanillo Airport Mazatlan Airport Tapachula Airport
Mexicali Airport Monterrey Airport Veracruz Airport
Morelia Airport Reynosa Airport Villahermosa Airport
Puerto Vallarta Airport San Luis Potosi Airport
San Jose del Cabo Airport Tampico Airport
Tijuana Airport Torreon Airport
Zacatecas Airport
Source: Concesiones de Aeropuertos, Direccion General de Aeronautica Civil, Secretaria de Comunicaciones y

Transportes.
9.18 Each group was created to have at least one major airport, to ensure a more competitive
playing field between each of the concessionaires.
9.19 Mexico City International Airport was not included in any of the groups due to the significant
volume of passengers that it handles every year. Instead, the Grupo Aeroportuario de la
Ciudad de Mexico was created, which is a concession owned by the State166.
9.20 The remaining airports, not included in the concessions, stayed under the control of ASA and
are listed in Table 9.3.
165
Concesiones de Aeropuertos, Direccion General de Aeronautica Civil, Secretaria de Comunicaciones y
Transportes.
166
http://www.aicm.com.mx/aicm/acerca-del-aicm/breve-historia
June 2016 | 85
Table 9.3: Airports administered and operated by the state owned concessionaire ASA
Airports and Auxiliary Services

Campeche Airport Chetumal Airport Ciudad del Carmen Airport
Ciudad Obregon Airport Ciudad Victoria Airport Colima Airport
Cuernavaca Airport Guaymas Airport Loreto Airport
Matamoros Airport Nogales Airport Nuevo Laredo Airport
Poza Rica Airport Puebla Airport Puerto Escondido Airport
Queretaro Airport Tampico Airport Tehuacan Airport
Tepic Airport Toluca Airport Uruapan Airport
Source: http://www.asa.gob.mx/swb/ASA/Aeropuertos_red_ASA
9.21 ASA has an Administration Counsel which, together with the Director General, is in charge of
the administration of the company. It is the highest level authority and is in charge of the
administration of ASA and the airports that it handles.
9.22 ASA’s main task is to operate airports and the operations team is in charge of planning,
organising, executing and supervising everything related to the airports, operational areas,
airport and operations safety, buildings, construction and extension to infrastructure that is
needed167.
Figure 9.1: Location of the three main concessionaires’ airports and Mexico City International Airport
GAP
OMA
ASUR
Mexico City
Airport
Source: Prepared by Steer Davies Gleave with information from GoogleMyMaps©
167
http://www.asa.gob.mx/es/ASA/Administracion_Aeroportuaria
June 2016 | 86
9.23 All other airports (i.e. not part of a concession, and not managed by the ASA) are
administrated and operated by State governments.
 Tuxtla International Airport and Palenque International Airport (1.1 million passengers in
2015), both in the southern state of Chiapas. These airports belong to the Grupo
Aeroportuario de Chiapas, owned by the State of Chiapas with 51% and ASA with 49%168
of the shares.
 Queretaro International Airport (0.5 million passengers in 2015), is also owned jointly by
the State of Querétaro with 75% and ASA with the 25% of the shares.
 Cuernavaca International Airport (0.007 million passengers in 2015) is a state owned
company with 51% of the shares owned by the Morelos State Government and 49% by
ASA.
 Toluca International Airport (0.7 million passengers in 2015) is managed and operated by
Administradora Mexiquense, with 49% of the shares owned by OHL México, 26% by the
State of Mexico Government and 25% by ASA.
9.24 Table 9.4 presents the volume of passengers for each concessionaire group in 2015. Mexico
City International Airport has more passengers than any other concession group, with 38.4
million. Concessionaires GAP and ASUR are next largest, with 27.1 million and 26.1 million
respectively.
Table 9.4: Volume of passengers by concessionaire group, 2015
2015 Arriving & Departing Percentage of total
Main Concessionaires
Passengers passengers in Mexico
AICM 38,430,494 33.8%
ASA 2,468,159 2.2%
ASUR 26,140,986 23.0%
GAP 27,138,648 23.9%
OMA 16,922,143 14.9%
STATE PARTNERSHIPS 2,515,241 2.2%
Source: Prepared by Steer Davies Gleave with information from Table 6.1
9.25 The most recent concession was granted in January 2015, to build, administrate and operate
the New International Mexico City Airport. This Airport was granted to Grupo Aeroportuario
de la Ciudad de México.
9.26 There are no other new greenfield Build-Operate-Transfer concessions currently in Mexico. All
the previously granted concessions were already constructed, however the present
concessions allow for the construction of additional infrastructure needed for the growth of
the airport. A good example of this is Cancun International Airport, which has had large
growth since the beginning of the concession. In this case ASUR has been responsible for the
construction of new terminals and a runway in association with the local and federal
governments.
168
http://www.valmans.com.mx/GACSite/quienes-somos.html
June 2016 | 87
Concessionaire arrangements
9.27 In Mexico, for those airports under concession agreements (as listed above in Table 9.2), the
concessionaire is responsible for the management and operation of these airports. The
different priorities of each concessionaire determine the objectives and actions that each
group follows; some concessionaires have partners who specialise in airport operations and
management (e.g. GAP and OMA, where respectively Spain’s AENA, and France’s ADP are
involved).
9.28 Concession titles are the legal documents by which the Federal Government grants the right of
administration and operation of the airports to the concessionaire. It is therefore the
concessionaire’s responsibility to adhere to the agreements. These arrangements are
regulated by the Ley de Aeropuertos (Airports Law) and the Reglamento de la Ley de
Aeropuertos (Airports Law Regulation). As airports are of federal interest, there are no state
laws or lower level laws that legislate in this area169.
9.29 The concessionaires are also obliged to undertake maintenance and conservation works and
have an annual conservation programme as well as a supervision of infrastructure, and
equipment programme.
9.30 In addition to the concession title, the concessionaires must have a written approval from
Secretaria de Comunicaciones y Transportes to begin operations, according to the Reglamento
de la Ley de Aeropuertos.
9.31 In the case of BOT, arrangements can be made with the governments in order to approve
some public funding or improve the concession schemes for the concessionaire not to have
financial constraints. After the concession period is over, the assets will be transferred to the
Federation.
Overview of private investors in Mexico’s airport concessions
9.32 Foreign private investment is permitted under concession arrangements up to a limit of 49%
of the company’s capital.
9.33 Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacifico (GAP) is one of the three major concessionaires in Mexico. It
operates 12 airports in the central and western areas of the country, and includes important
cities like Guadalajara and Tijuana, as well as important tourist destinations such as La Paz, Los
Cabos and Puerto Vallarta.
9.34 The group is listed in the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) as well as the Mexican Stock
Exchange (BMV) where 85% of the group’s shares are owned by the public and the other 15%
is owned by Aeropuertos Mexicanos del Pacifico (AMP), which is a joint venture between the
following companies170:
 5% is Desarrollo de Concesiones Aeroportuarias (DCA): in 2015 GAP bought all the shares
from the Spanish company Abertis. DCA also has a 74.5% of the Jamaican MBJ Airports
Limited and 14.77% of Chile’s SLC Terminal Aereo Santiago.
 5% is Corporación Mexicana de Aeropuertos: a Mexican company and it is key to the
concession by being the Mexican part of the concessionaire.
169
http://www.sct.gob.mx/JURE/doc/ley-aeropuertos.pdf
170
https://www.aeropuertosgap.com.mx/es/grupo-gap.html
June 2016 | 88
 5% is AENA International: a Spanish state-owned company, which handles all the
operations in the Spanish Airports and acts as the operations partner in GAP.
9.35 GAP is managed by the Administration Council which has representatives designated by the
different shareholders, including Grupo Mexico. The Board of Directors is leaded by Fernando
Bosque Mohino who is the General Director, Saul Villareal Garcia is the Administration and
Finance Director and Jose Ignacio Ascacibar is the Operations Director, who previously worked
at AENA171.
9.36 GAP has investment from international companies, including Aena International. Aena
International is present in 15 airports in three countries: United Kingdom, Mexico and
Colombia. Aena International is the operating partner of AMP172.
9.37 Grupo Aeroportuario Centro Norte (OMA) operates 13 airports in the central and northern
region of the country, serving important cities such as Monterrey and Ciudad Juarez and
tourist destinations like Acapulco and Mazatlán. OMA shares are listed in the NYSE and the
BMV. The ownership of the company is distributed as follows173:
 81.4% of the shares are owned by the public.
 16.7% owned by Servicios de Tecnologia Aeroportuaria, a company jointly owned by the
following:
 Aeroinvest ICA (74.5%), the largest engineering and construction company in Mexico,
and
 Aeroports de Paris Management (25.5%), a company owned by Aeroports de Paris,
which is the second largest airport operator in Europe.
 1.9% owned by Aeroinvest ICA. Directly and indirectly, ICA owns 14.34% of OMA’s shares.
9.38 OMA has a board of directors and a chief executive officer who are responsible for the
management of the business and are the legal representatives of the Company. The board has
11 members, including 5 independent directors. The Securities Market Law provides that the
board of directors shall be assisted by one or more committees in order to carry out its
responsibilities with regards to corporate practices and audit. The main operations partner is
Aeroports de Paris Management, a subsidiary of Aeroports de Paris.
9.39 Grupo Aeroportuario del Sureste (ASUR) operates 9 airports in the southeast of Mexico and
owns a 50% of Aerostar Airport Holdings LLC which operates the San Juan International Airport
in Puerto Rico. The shares are listed on the New York Stock Exchange as well as the BMV and
are distributed as follows174:
 92.35% of shares are owned by the public.
 7.65% is owned by Inversiones y Tecnicas Aeroportuarias (ITA) which is owned by the
following investors:
 50% by Fernando Chico Pardo, the CEO of the company, and
171
https://www.aeropuertosgap.com.mx/es/equipo-directivo.html
172
http://www.aena.es/csee/Satellite/conocenos/en/Page/1237548053512//Airport-Activity.html
173
http://ir.oma.aero/es/aboutus.cfm
174
http://www.asur.com.mx/es/inversionistas/herramientas-de-ri/faqs-es.html
June 2016 | 89
 50% by Corporativo Galafe, which is a company owned by Grupo ADO, one of the
most important Mexican bus companies.
9.40 ASUR is managed the Board of Directors and a Management team175 and is internally
regulated by the corporate governance includes an annual shareholders‘ meeting according to
Mexican law.
Mexico: Ground handling
9.41 Mexico’s ground handling market is served by a number of local and international providers of
ground handling services. International operators have registered local companies to service
the market.
9.42 Airport Ground Handling Services and Operations are legislated for within the Airports Law,
which regulates on all matters regarding airports in Mexico. Airports are considered as
strategic infrastructure for the nation’s safety, therefore they are under federal jurisdiction
and thus there is no legislation lower than the federal law on ground handling. It is the
Concessionaire’s or operator’s obligation to ensure that its airports are fully operational with
infrastructure, equipment, signalling and systems that provide a safe operational
environment.
9.43 A stakeholder consulted during the course of the study stated that there is no difficultly in
entering or operating in the country’s ground handling market including for foreign
companies. This is legislated for within the Airports Law, Chapter VII, Operation and Services,
where it states that there are three service groups that the concessionaire may provide:
 Airport Services: Use of runways, taxiways, platforms, visual aids, lightning, passengers
and cargo buildings, and all that related to safety at the airport, fire and emergency crews.
 Complimentary Services: Ramp, traffic, fuel supply, catering, cargo loading and handling,
aircraft repair and maintenance.
 Commercial Services: Restaurants, car hires, advertisement, banks, hotels, etc.
9.44 According to this classification, Ground Handling falls under Complimentary Services which
may be provided by the concessionaire or be awarded to a third party designated by the
concessionaire or permittee, and the ground handling subcontractor must comply with what is
established in Mexican Law. Third party providers may not sub contract any services176.
9.45 The Ground Handling companies with operations in airports must follow what the
concessionaire or permittee and the Ministry establish for the safe and effective operation of
the airport177.
9.46 The concessionaires or permittees may only limit the number of service providers at the
airport for reasons of limited space, or operating efficiency and safety, so long as this decision
is accompanied by an evaluation from the operations committee and is approved by SCT.
175
http://asur.com.mx/en/investor-relations/corporate-governance.html
176
Capitulo III, De la contratacion, Reglamento de la Ley de Aeropuertos DOF17-02-2000
177
Capitulo VII, De la operación y los servicios, Ley de Aeropuertos, Ultima reforma publicada DOF 21-
01-2009
June 2016 | 90
9.47 As mentioned above, the law allows concessionaires or permittees to provide airport and
complimentary services themselves, but only if this is done on a competitive basis, with equal
opportunities for other service providers to compete, this also means that in cases that there
are no ground handling companies that provide complimentary services, the concessionaire is
required to provide these services.
9.48 Airport and complimentary services must be provided in line with safety criteria and other
procedures that are established in the basic safety regulations and the quality control
parameters included in the Airports Law. The airport concessionaire or permittee is
responsible for ensuring that the airport provides all required services that ensure operation
within the safety levels and requirements of the airport’s classification and category.178
9.49 Every air transport and operations company at the airport must have a written contract with
the airport concessionaire or permittee in place, in which terms and conditions regarding use
of the airport and the manner in which complimentary services will be provided must be
included. Should a transport company choose a ground handling company to provide these
services, it must comply with the previous stipulations and have the authorization from SCT179.
Market information
9.50 A number of ground handling companies have activities in many airports in Mexico with their
operations not usually limited to a single airport. At most airports in Mexico there are several
ground handling companies operating within the same airport. This depends on the
agreements ground handling companies have with the concessionaires or the airlines.
Market size and share
9.51 The market shares of the major companies in the Mexican ground handling market for ramp
178
Capitulo I, De los servicios aeroportuarios y complementarios, Reglamento de la Ley de Aeropuertos
DOF17-02-2000
179
Capitulo IV, De la prestacion de los servicios aeroportuarios y complementarios a los transportistas
aereos, Reglamento de la Ley de Aeropuertos DOF17-02-2000
June 2016 | 91
Figure 9.2: Mexican ground handling market share by company (ramp)
SEAT
Interjet
Menzies
25.3%
32.3% Swissport
Avexpress
Transportes Aeromar
Aeromexico Serv
11.0%
IGS
2.8%
Various
1.4% 10.4%
n.a.
2.1%
7.1%
2.2%
5.3%
Figure 9.3: Mexican ground handling market share by company (passenger)
1.8%
SEAT
Aeromexico
19.9%
Menzies
Interjet
32.3%
Volaris
4.9%
Transportes Aeromar
Orion
11.0% Manpower
11.6%
United Airlines
Various
7.9%
n.a.
3.0% 2.5% 2.8% 2.2%
9.52 We estimate the total value of the Mexican ground handling market to be €377 million for
on page 34.
June 2016 | 92
Overview of ground handling companies in Mexico
9.54 International ground handling companies have a big presence in Mexico airports, including EU-
based companies. This shows that there are no significant barriers to providing services.
9.55 Although airport operators are allowed to undertake Ground Handling activities in their
airports, it is not common. The only instance of this happening in Mexico is at Toluca Airport,
where OHL Mexico has a share of the Toluca International Airport whilst also providing ground
handling services. However, it is not the only ground handling operator in the airport180.
9.56 The main ground handling companies operating in Mexico, along with their area of activity
(passenger, cargo or ramp), are shown in Table 9.5.
Table 9.5: Main ground handling companies operating in Mexico
Nationality of Ramp
Name Passengers Cargo
Company Handling
Aerocharter de Mexico Mexico  

Aeromexico Servicios (SEAT) Mexico   
Aeromexpress Mexico  

Aeronaves TSM Mexico 
 
Air Operations & Ground Handling Mexico Mexico   
AGN Aviation Services SA de CV Mexico   
ASMCORP Mexico   
Avion Representaciones y Servicios-ARS Mexico  

Cargo Service Center de Mexico Mexico 
 
Ground Control Mexico Mexico   
Groundforce Mexico Spain   
ICCS Mexico & Latin America Mexico   
Menzies Aviation (Mexico) UK  

Mercurio Cargo Mexico 
 
Passenger Handling Services Mexico   
Pegasus Flight Support USA  

Swissport de Mexico Switzerland   
Universal Aviation USA   
Source: http://www.airlineupdate.com/content_subscription/gha/index/mexico.htm
9.57 Table 6.6 shows the ground handling operators operating at the top ten busiest airports in
Mexico (as shown in Table 6.1). The table shows that several ground handling companies
operate at each airport without having any competition restraints. Both national and
international companies have ground handling operations providing services at Mexican
airports, the market is distributed according to the capacity of each provider. The only
limitation, as described in the legal framework, is regarding airport operations and safety, in
which case the concessionaire will determine the maximum number of GH companies.
180
http://www.ohlmexico.com.mx/Plantillas/concesionesdet.aspx?IdF=107&IdL=108&Fich=678&idM
=177_678&nvl=2&lan=en
June 2016 | 93
9.58 A more detailed description of each of the ground handling companies, their services and
airports they operate is described below.
Table 9.6: Companies operating at the most important airports in Mexico
Services Provided
No. Airport GH Companies
Load Passenger
Cleaning Ramp
Control Services
Swissport    
Aeromexico Servicios   

1 Mexico City Ground Control Mexico  
 
Menzies    
Groundforce    
Swissport   

Aeromexico Servicios    
2 Cancun Ground Control Mexico    
Menzies    
Swissport  
 
3 Guadalajara
Ground Control Mexico    
Menzies    
4 Monterrey Aeromexico Servicios    
Ground Control Mexico    
Menzies    
5 Tijuana Aeromexico Servicios    
Menzies    
 
6 Puerto Vallarta Aeromexico Servicios    
Menzies    
7 Los Cabos
 
8 Merida
Menzies    
Source: Prepared by Steer Davies Gleave with information from GH companies
9.59 Aeromexico Servicios is one of the biggest ground handling companies in Mexico, handling
over 372,000 flights annually, representing 67% of all ground handling flight operations in
June 2016 | 94
Mexico. It has 70 customer airlines from a number of different countries, and 4,000 qualified
staff working at 42 airports in Mexico181.
9.60 Aeromexico Servicios is a subsidiary of Aeromexico, the flag carrier airline of Mexico. It
operates scheduled services to more than 56 destinations in Mexico, North, South, and Central
America, the Caribbean, Europe, and Asia. Its main base and hub is Mexico City International
Airport, with a secondary hub at Monterrey.
9.61 Aeromexico Servicios offers the following services in Mexico:
 Passenger and Baggage (departures, arrivals, baggage handling, intermodal
transportation, ground security coordination);
 Ramp (Baggage handling, marshalling, parking, communications, aircraft
loading/unloading, aircraft towing and pushback, interior cleaning, toilet services, cooling,
de-icing);
 Load control, communications and flight operations;
 Cargo and mail services;
 Support services;
 Security;
 Aircraft maintenance; and
 Representation (ground handling consulting in Mexico, development of manuals, courses,
etc.)
9.62 Table 9.7 provides a list of all airports served by Aeromexico Servicios.
Table 9.7: Airports served by Aeromexico Servicios
Aeromexico Servicios Airport Stations System

Acapulco Durango Minatitlan Tampico
Aguascalientes Guadalajara Monterrey Tijuana
Bahias de Huatulco Hermosillo Morelia Torreon
Cancun La Paz Nuevo Laredo Tuxtla Gutierrez
Chetumal Leon / Bajio Oaxaca Veracruz
Chihuahua Los Cabos Puebla Villahermosa
Ciudad del Carmen Los Mochis Puerto Escondido Zacatecas
Ciudad de Mexico Manzanillo Puerto Vallarta Zihuatanejo
Ciudad Juarez Mazatlan Queretaro

Cozumel Merida Reynosa
Culiacan Mexicali San Luis Potosi
Source: http://www.aeromexicoservicios.com.mx/net.php
9.63 Ground Control Mexico is another major ground handling company in Mexico, providing
ground handling services for commercial and government aviation needs in Mexico, Central
America and the Caribbean. Services offered by Ground Control Mexico include:
 Representation services;
181
http://www.aeromexicoservicios.com.mx/service.php
June 2016 | 95
 Supervision services;
 Ramp handling services;
 Catering;
 Baggage and lost and found;
 Government affairs; and
 Dispatch.
9.64 Table 9.8 provides a list of all airports served by Ground Control Mexico.
Table 9.8: Airports served by Ground Control Mexico
Airports served by Ground Control Mexico

Monterrey Guadalajara
San Jose del Cabo Toluca
Cancun Mexico City
Source: http://www.groundcontrol.com.mx/Offices.asp
9.65 Several international companies provide ground handling services at Mexican airports. In all
cases these companies have established a Mexican subsidiary. Examples of these companies
are as follows (and described in more detail below):
 Menzies Aviation;
 Groundforce Mexico; and
 Swissport.
9.66 Menzies Aviation is a global provider of passenger, ramp and cargo handling services. Menzies
has grown rapidly since its conception in 1995 in Scotland, it is a significant company in the
international ground handling industry.
9.67 Menzies operates in 149 stations in 31 countries. It serves over 500 airline costumers handling
over one million flights and 1.6 million tonnes of cargo per annum182. The services they
provide are listed in Table 9.9 operating in the Mexican airports shown in Table 9.10.
Table 9.9: Menzies ground handling services
Menzies Ground Handling Services
Ticketing Aircraft ground power and start-up LZ Storage and Management
Check-in De-icing Freighters
VIP lounges Pushback and towing Chartered flights

Load Control Customer Services Meet & Greet
Aircraft loading and unloading Independent call centres Executive services
Cabin cleaning Airside and landside bussing Secure cleaning
Toilet and water services Lost & Found services
Source: http://www.menziesaviation.com/index/page/p/9/ref/Services
182
http://www.menziesaviation.com/index/page/p/2/ref/About-Us
June 2016 | 96
Table 9.10: Mexico Airports in which Menzies has operations
Menzies Operations
Aguascalientes Culiacan Mexico City San Jose del Cabo
Bajio Guadalajara Monterrey San Luis Potosi
Campeche Hermosillo Morelia Tampico
Cancun Huatulco Oaxaca Tijuana
Chihuahua Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo Puerto Escondido Torreon
Ciudad del Carmen La Paz Puerto Vallarta Tuxtla Gutierrez
Ciudad Juarez Loreto Queretaro Veracruz
Cozumel Mazatlan Reynosa Villahermosa
Cuernavaca Merida Saltillo
Source: http://www.menziesaviation.com/network/list/p/16/ref/Network
9.68 Groundforce Mexico is part of Globalia Handling, an independent business unit of Globalia
Corporation since its establishment in 2003. The services provided by Groundforce Mexico are
shown in Table 9.11 at Mexico City Airport, Merida and Cancun Airports183:
Table 9.11: Services provided by Groundforce Mexico
Groundforce Ground Handling Services

Services to Passengers: Flight Operations: Ramp Services:
Ticket desk Crew briefing Aircraft loading/unloading
Check-in and boarding Communications Baggage sorting and transportation
Flight arrival and connections Centralized load planning Cabin cleaning
Baggage assistance Ramp supervision Crew transportation
Special passengers and VIP service ULD control Apron bus
Bunkering Supervision GPU, aircraft pushback, ASU
Catering and cleaning services ULD
Toilet and water services
De-icing
Source: http://www.groundforce.aero/en/servicios/handling.html
9.69 Swissport is another mayor service provider in Mexico. It is the world's largest provider of
ground and cargo handling services in the aviation industry.
9.70 The services that Swissport provides are shown in Table 9.12.
Table 9.12: Services Swissport provides in Mexico
Swissport Ground Handling

Station Management and Aircraft Servicing and Ramp
Passenger Services:
Administration: Handling:
AFP Filing Airport Ticketing Sales Desk Aircraft Loading/Unloading
Flight Operations Assistance Arrival and Transfer Services Baggage Sorting and Transportation
Irregularity Operations Support Check-in Services Cabin Cleaning
Liaising with various port authorities Dedicated Passenger Services Crew Transport
183
http://www.groundforce.aero/en/red_aeropuertos/handling_mex.html
June 2016 | 97
Swissport Ground Handling
Load Control Gate Services De/Anti-Icing
Station Control Lost and Found Services GPU, Push-Back
Station Representation and Supervision Lounge Services Unit Load Device Control
Special Passenger and VIP
Weather Briefing Toilet and Water Services
Services
Source: http://www.swissport.com/products-services/products-services/ground-handling/
9.71 The airports in which Swissport provides ground handling services in Mexico are shown in
Table 9.13.
Table 9.13: Swissport Network in Mexico
Services Provided
GH Company Airport Load Passenger
Cleaning Ramp
Control Services
Swissport Acapulco    
Swissport Aguascalientes    
Swissport Huatulco    
Swissport Cancun    
Swissport Chihuahua    
Swissport Culiacan    
Swissport Durango    
Swissport Guadalajara  
 
Swissport Hermosillo    
Swissport Juarez    
Swissport La Paz    
Swissport Bajio    
Swissport Los Mochis    
Swissport Mazatlan    
Swissport Mexico City    
Swissport Monterrey    
Swissport Morelia    
Swissport Oaxaca    
Swissport Obregon    
Swissport Puebla    
Swissport Puerto Vallarta   

Swissport San Jose del cabo    
Swissport Toluca    
Swissport Torreon    
Swissport Zacatecas    
Source: http://www.swissport.com/index.php?id=4&level=country&continentId=3&countryId=147
June 2016 | 98
9.72 Swissport has been operating in Mexico City Airport since 2014 with a total number of
employees of 520, handling an average of 4 million passengers and 22,000 A/C each year,
providing their services to the following airlines184:
 Jet Blue Airlines;
 Lan Chile;
 Lan Peru;
 MasAir;
 TAM; and
 Volaris.
9.73 Aeropuertos y Servicios Auxiliares (ASA) is the only jet fuel provider in Mexico airports. With
over 34 years’ experience, it supplies jet fuel through a network with over 60 stations and one
supply point185.
9.74 In 2015 a constitutional reform, relating to the provision of energy, was approved by the
Mexican Congress in which it allows companies different from the state owned PEMEX to
explore, obtain and produce fuels and oil derives, this means that companies different from
ASA may now obtain permits to buy, produce and distribute jet fuel to airports, ASA supplies
3,800 million litres of jet fuel of which 40% goes to Mexico City Airport and 18% to Cancun
Airport as the two main consumers186.
184
http://www.swissport.com/network/network-
detail/?busiId=904&cHash=f64e172b6ec82cccf16127188bec845a
185
http://asa.gob.mx/es/ASA/Combustibles
186
http://www.elfinanciero.com.mx/empresas/asa-dejaria-de-ser-el-unico-distribuidor-de-turbosina-
en-mexico.html
June 2016 | 99
10 Case study: Morocco
Introduction
10.1 In this chapter we provide the analysis of the regulatory environment and market analysis for
airport ownership and management and ground handling in Morocco.
Context
10.2 The Moroccan airport network comprises 25 commercial airports, 19 of them international
airports. They can be categorised as follows:
 Large international airports: Casablanca (the largest national airport), Rabat (airport in
Morocco’s political capital) and Benslimane (airport in the greater Casablanca region);
 International and emerging airports: Marrakech (main tourist airport), Agadir (second
tourist airport), Fes, Nador, Oujda, Tanger, etc.; and
 Smaller (national) airports.
Table 10.1: Largest commercial airports of Morocco (2014)
Rank City Airport name 2014 Passengers (total,

departing and arriving)
1 Casablanca Mohammed V International 7,971,705

2 Marrakech Menara 4,034,410
3 Agadir Massira 1,467,447
4 Fes Saiss 791,564
5 Tanger Ibn Battouta 766,364
6 Rabat Sale 684,213
7 Nador Nador International 604,013
8 Oujda Angad 515,896
9 Laayoune Hassan 1er 123,356
10 Dakhla Dakhla 96,746
11 Essaouira Mogador 62,591
12 Ouarzazate Ouarzazate 59,062
13 Al-Hoceima Cherif Al Idrissi 44,841
14 Others 72,663
Source: Office National Des Aeroports (ONDA) 2015
10.3 The largest airports in Morocco are located in the northern part of the country.
June 2016 | 100

10.4 The air transport liberalisation policy adopted by Morocco has supported a continuous growth
in air traffic in recent years. During the period 2006-2014, the number of passengers increased
at a compound annual average rate of 6.6%, rising from 10.4 million passengers in 2006 to
17.3 million passengers in 2014.
10.5 In 2014, total air passenger traffic was 4.8% higher than that in 2013 (from 16.5 million in 2013
to 17.3 million). During 2014, Moroccan airports handled 4.0% more aircraft movements than
in 2013 (156,140 vs 150,134).
10.6 Europe is the main destination for air services from Moroccan airports, with the number of
passengers traveling to or from Europe amounting to 80% of total international passenger
traffic in 2014.
10.7 Moroccan air transport passenger traffic is forecast to reach 52 million passengers by 2030
according to the national airport development plan.
Morocco: Airport ownership
10.8 In Morocco, the airport sector remains under a public monopoly, with no private investment.
The Office National des Aéroports (ONDA) is the owner and manager of all airports in
Morocco.
10.9 The ONDA was established on 13 December 1989 by law 14-89 promulgated by Dahir n° 1-89-
237 of 30 December 1989, to replace Office des Aéroports de Casablanca (OAC), as a public,
industrial and commercial concern with a legal status and financial autonomy.
10.10 ONDA’s remit covers all the country’s airports that are open to commercial air traffic, and
includes the following responsibilities187:
 Construction, operation, maintenance and development of airports open to public air
traffic;
 Control of air navigation; and
 Passenger and freight transport.
10.11 To this end, the ONDA collects airport duties and taxes as well as fees for services rendered in
connection with air navigation and related aspects, such as baggage handling.
10.12 Decree n°2-89-480 of 30 January 1989 concerning application of law n°14-89 defined the units
in charge of administration and management of ONDA. ONDA is under the technical
supervision of the Ministry of Transport and the financial supervision of the Ministry of
Finance. It is administered by a Board of Directors, comprising, under the chairmanship of the
Prime Minister or the Government authority delegated by the Prime Minister, representatives
of several ministries, a representative of the Royal Army, and a representative of Royal Air
Maroc. The Managing Director of ONDA attends Board meetings as a rapporteur (i.e. to report
on the proceedings of the meetings).
10.13 An airport capacity report188 by the African Development Bank states that “the law
establishing ONDA provides that the organization will have the immovable property necessary
to run the airports that it manages and operates. For movables, the same law and its enabling
decree provide for transfer of the items to the organization, on the basis of an inventory
187
ONDA website, accessed 24 March 2016. www.onda.ma
188
Appraisal report, improvement and extension of airport capacity, African Development Bank, 2000
June 2016 | 101

containing figures and approved by the Ministries of Transport and Finance. The items were
transferred from the Government to ONDA in 1996, by transfer decrees jointly signed by the
Minister of Transport and the Minister of Finance”.
Morocco: Airport management
10.14 As explained above, all airports in Morocco are owned and managed by ONDA, an
autonomous, 100% government-owned state company. There is currently no private sector
involvement in the management of airports in Morocco, but this may change in the future, as
described further below.
Future changes
10.15 There are ongoing discussions at the Moroccan Ministry of Equipment, Transport and Logistics
as well as at the Moroccan Ministry of Economy and Finance regarding the launch of a number
of Public Private Partnership (PPP) airport projects. The potential move towards PPPs in
airports is supported by the recent enactment of Law 86-12 on such partnerships. Law 86-12
establishes a legal framework for PPPs in Morocco and sets out principles for PPP best
practice189. In this context, ONDA has reviewed190 a number of different airport PPP scenarios
and relevant models that could be adopted, including:
 PPPs for individual airports;
 PPPs for airport groupings;
 A single PPP for all airports in the country; and
 Capital opening of ONDA, which would require a transfer of airport property from the
State to ONDA.
10.16 Whilst there are no firm indications as to the model that will be eventually selected, ACI Africa
stated during stakeholder consultation for this study that any private role with respect to
Morocco’s airports would likely be more focussed on management, with the airports
remaining State-owned.
10.17 The ONDA has a number of current and future projects under consideration, including:
 the specialisation of Tit Mellil airport (located between Rabat and Casablanca) into a
business aviation airport;
 the development of an Aérotropolis (airport with city attached to it) in Benslimane; and
 the construction of a new airport in Marrakech in the medium term.
10.18 The financial model for these projects has not yet been decided, however ONDA has stated
that it will take the form of one of the options mentioned above191 in paragraph 8.15.
10.19 Stakeholders consulted during the course of this study stated that there would be potential
interest in Morocco, depending on the model chosen by ONDA (it appears that ONDA want to
189
Morocco Ministry of Economics and Finance website, accessed 24 March 2016.
www.finances.gov.ma,
190
ONDA: Etude pour la definition de la strategie d’introduction du PPP dans le secteur aeroportuaire au
Maroc - 2015
191
ONDA: Etude pour la definition de la strategie d’introduction du PPP dans le secteur aeroportuaire au
Maroc -2015
June 2016 | 102

continue having a say in the management of airports, which may limit interest due to
governance issues).
Morocco: Ground handling
10.20 The process of liberalising the ground handling market in Morocco began in 2004, with the
formal liberalisation by Decree (law) in 2005192. In this context, the relationship between the
airport authority (ONDA) and ground handling organisations are governed by national laws
and regulations that set the conditions for the provision of support services on the ground.
10.21 The 2005 Decree (Decree n° 2-05-1399 dated 2 December 2005) is the only legislative
document regulating ground handling activities in Morocco. This is a national law; there are no
lower level (e.g. regional) laws or regulations regarding the ground handling market.
10.22 Article 3 of the 2005 ground handling decree requires ground handling companies to be
established in Morocco, but there are no nationality requirements beyond this. Ground
handling licences are granted for a period of up to 7 years and are able to be renewed.
10.23 Article 3 of the ground handling decree states that the number of ground handlers can be
limited for a number of service types in cases of limited physical space or security/safety
requirements. These service types are as follows:
 baggage handling;
 runway operation handling;
 fuel and oil handling; and
 freight and post handling.
10.24 Article 4 states that self-handling by airlines is permitted at a number of airports (list is
provided in paragraph 10.26), but that the number of carriers permitted to self-handle may be
limited to the four service types listed above in paragraph 10.23, for the same reasons as listed
above. The 18 largest Moroccan airports all permit self-handling by airlines.
10.25 Article 6 lists the documents that must be submitted to obtain licences, whilst article 12 states
that the remuneration received by the airport manager for access to facilities as part of
ground handling services shall be determined according to “relevant, objective, transparent
and non-discriminatory” factors.
10.26 In Morocco, ONDA is responsible for the tendering of ground handling licences through
international calls for tender. Individual airports do not have the freedom to make decisions
regarding the ground handling organisations that operate at their airports. In the most recent
tender in 2012, licences were granted for 3 groups of airport operations:
 Mohammed V airport in Casablanca;
 “South Zone” (airports located in the south of the country), including Marrakech, Agadir,
Essaouira, Laayoune, Ouarzazate, Dakhla, Guelmim, Tan-Tan and Zagora;
 “North Zone”, including Tangier, Rabat, Fez, Oujda, Nador, Al Hoceima, Tétouan,
Errachidia and Bouarfa.
10.27 The ground handling decree allows ONDA to reduce the number of ground handlers at airports
based on space or based on safety/security concerns. It does not mention any market volume
192
Decree n° 2-05-1399 dated 2 December 2005
June 2016 | 103

requirements and their relationship to the number of ground handling organisations at an
airport, but the grouping of airports into three groups for the tender procedure corresponds in
practice a market volume criteria.
10.28 There are no specific nationality requirements in the ground handling decree and the
companies who bid in 2012 were mainly large international operators: Swissport, Globalia,
Servisair, Aviapartner, Menzies Aviation and Groupement Ease193. However, according to
Article 3, these businesses must already be established in Morocco (requiring at least a
business address in Morocco). To this end Swissport established Swissport Maroc SA in
October 2012 as a subsidiary company based in Agadir, operating on behalf of Swissport on
Moroccan territory. Globalia, a Spanish ground handling company also created a subsidiary
“Morroco GHS”, based in Casablanca, in order to provide ground handling services at
Casablanca airport194.
10.29 We understand from our discussions with stakeholders that the practice of establishing a local
operation for ground handling service provision is normal for the business and presents no
barriers to market entry.
Market Information
10.30 The market shares of the major companies in the Moroccan ground handling market for ramp
Figure 10.1: Moroccan ground handling market share by company (ramp)
Royal Air Maroc

42.9% Swissport
50.0%
Groundforce
n.a.
4.9%
2.1%
193
Accessed 24 March 2016. http://www.aeronautique.ma
194
Accessed 24 March 2016. http://lasociete.ma/morocco-ghs/casablanca-140377/
June 2016 | 104

Figure 10.2: Moroccan ground handling market share by company (passenger)
Royal Air Maroc

Swissport
42.9%
50.0% Groundforce
Air Arabia Maroc
n.a.
2.7% 2.1%
2.1%
10.31 We estimate the total value of the Moroccan ground handling market to be €53 million for
on page 34.
Operators and tenders
10.33 In ONDA’s 2012 (most recent) international call for tender for ground handling service licences
in Morocco, three international tenders were launched as follows:
 Two licenses for the Mohammed V airport in Casablanca. Six offers were received and the
selected handlers were Swissport and Globalia. Swissport is a very large international
handler and Globalia is a Spanish handler operating in 3 countries.
 One license for the “South Zone”. Five offers were received and resulted in Swissport
being selected;
 One license for the “North Zone”. Five offers were received and resulted in Swissport
being selected; and
 Unsuccessful bidders included Servisair (now part of Swissport), Aviapartner (Belgium),
Menzies Aviation (UK) and Ease grouping.
June 2016 | 105

Table 10.2: Services offered by ground handlers in Morocco
Swissport Globalia RAM-Handling
195
Operates in 9 airports in Operates at Casablanca airport only Royal Air Maroc self handles as
Morocco* well as providing services to
 Check-in and Boarding; third parties.
 Station management and  Ramp: Loading and unloading;
administration;  Ramp equipment maintenance (in-
 Passenger services; house hangar);
 Aircraft services and Ramp  Operations: Start up and load sheet;
handling; and  Special Assistance Service;
 Does not provide cargo  Cleaning;
handling.  GPU Services;
 Taxiing of luggage and goods; and
 Does not provide cargo handling.
* The remaining 10 airports in the group have very few/no scheduled flights other than Royal Air Maroc.
196 197198
Source: Swissport , Globalia websites , Steer Davies Gleave analysis
10.34 Swissport and Globalia began activities in Morocco on 1 July 2012, competing alongside Royal
Air Morocco (RAM-Handling) whose contract continued until the end of 2014, and is
understood to continue with regard to both self-provision and provision ground handling
services for third parties. The Moroccan airports therefore have two or, in the case of
Mohammed V airport, three ground handling service providers.
10.35 By 2014 RAM Handling employed 942 employees. In late October 2014, RAM had provided
self-handling on behalf of Royal Air Morocco for 65% of its 90,000 operations handled in
Morocco, and 35% of third-party customers’ operations. RAM Handling’s turnover in 2014 was
373 million DH (or approximately €34 million) and recorded an operating profit of 23 million
DH (approximately €2.2 million), and net profit of 16.4 million DH (approximately €1.5 million).
10.36 The result of the 2012 tender was not welcomed by Ryanair199 which protested against the
“monopolistic offer” of ground handling at the airports it serves. Nevertheless, the airports
served by Ryanair have two ground handling service providers, including RAM-Handling. The
airline decided to withdraw 34 flights per week between Morocco and Europe as a result of its
“strong increase in ground handling charges”. ONDA responded that the price of handling
services is not under its responsibility as it “has no authority to interfere in commercial
195
Ground Force website, Accessed 24 March 2016.
http://www.groundforce.aero/en/contacto/contacto.html
196
Swissport website – ground handling services, Accessed 24 March 2016.
http://www.swissport.com/products-services/products-services/ground-handling/
197
Ground Force website, http://www.groundforce.aero/en/pdf/pdf-marroc.pdf, accessed March 2016
198
Ground Force website, http://www.groundforce.aero/index_eng.html, accessed March 2016
199
Accessed 24 March 2016. http://www.quellecompagnie.com/News/ryanair-ryanair-quitte-oujda-
maroc-et-supprime-34-vols-au-maroc-vols-low-cost-0450.php
June 2016 | 106

negotiations between airlines and handlers”. It also clarified that “only a ceiling price may be
fixed in order to secure the airlines”.200
10.37 There had also been some issues with the previous ground handling tender (in 2003) which
resulted in a lawsuit from one of the 6 bidders (Flightcare-Celebi-Finamco). This bidder, a
consortium comprised of Spanish handler Flightcare, Celebi from Turkey and Moroccan
company Finamco, scored the highest number of points (90 points), but was not selected in
favour of Portuguese-Spanish bidder (Tap-Globalia-Finance.Com-Atlanta) who scored 71
points201.
10.38 The number of people employed in ground handling activities in Morocco was expected to
double after 2012’s tender. Recruitment and training was planned to be a rigorous process,
including the creation in Morocco of a Swissport academy closely monitored by ONDA202 (no
further updates on progress were found).
200
ONDA website, accessed 24 March 2016.
http://www.onda.ma/content/download/3164/22214/version/1/fichier/Communiqu%C3%A9ONDA260
612.pdf
201
Accessed 24 March 2016. www.aujourdhui.ma/maroc/economie/l-onda-perd-la-premiere-manche-
9894
202
ONDA website, accessed 24 March 2016. http://www.aeronautique.ma/L-ONDA-vers-un-nouveau-
modele-d-assistance-en-escale_a2541.html
June 2016 | 107

11 Case study: Philippines
Introduction
11.1 In this chapter we provide market analysis for airport ownership and management and ground
handling in the Philippines.
Context
11.2 In the Philippines, there are 85 airports that fall under The Civil Aviation Authority of the
Philippines’ (CAAP) classification system203 that handle the vast majority of commercial
aviation. In addition to these there are a number of small aerodromes which are generally not
used for commercial aviation. The airports under CAAP’s classification system consist of the
following:
 10 international airports;
 15 “Class 1” principal airports, which are capable of serving jet aircraft with a capacity of
at least 100 seats;
 19 “Class 2” principal airports, which are airports capable of serving propeller aircraft with
a capacity of at least 19 seats; and
 41 community airports, which are used primarily for general aviation.
11.3 The 10 busiest airports, in terms of number of passengers, are shown in Table 11.1.
Table 11.1: Commercial airports in the Philippines with highest number of passengers, 2014
CY12 Passengers (most

Rank City Airport Year
Passengers* recent year)
1 Manila Ninoy Aquino International Airport 31,878,935 36,681,601 2015
2 Cebu Mactan-Cebu International Airport 6,712,293 13,550,343 2015
Francisco Bangoy International
3 Davao 2,963,243 3,452,479 2014
Airport
4 Iloilo Iloilo International Airport 1,854,427 1,677,632 2014
5 Kalibo Kalibo International Airport 1,832,168 2,321,162 2014
6 Cagayan de Oro Laguindingan Airport 1,614,157 1,553,346 2014
7 Bacolod Bacolod-Silay International Airport 1,518,417 1,317,841 2014
8 Puerto Princesa Puerto Princesa International Airport 1,322,925 1,378,580 2014
9 Angeles Clark International Airport 1,309,883 877,757 2014
10 Tacloban Daniel Z. Romualdez Airport 1,149,592 863,634 2014
203
CAAP Airports, accessed 8th March 2016, http://www.caap.gov.ph/index.php/contact-us/directory/finish/22-contact/163-
caap-airport-directory
June 2016 | 108

CY12 Passengers (most
Rank City Airport Year
Passengers* recent year)
11 Zamboanga Zamboanga International Airport 904,668 901,041 2014
12 Tagbilaran Tagbilaran Airport 734,207 651,837 2014
13 General Santos General Santos International Airport 611,274
14 Malay Boracay Airport 595,564
15 Legazpi Legazpi Airport 578,767
16 Butuan Bancasi Airport 524,194
17 Dumaguete Sibulan Airport 451,112
18 Ozamiz Labo Airport 272,850
19 Cotabato Awang Airport 246,209
20 Tuguegarao Tuguegarao Airport 223,907
*Passenger data for more recent years was not available for a number of major airports
204
Source: CAAP , airport websites
Philippines: Airport ownership

11.4 All CAAP-classified airports are owned by the government. There is no market or regulatory
framework in the Philippines for private investments in airport ownership, only airport
management.
11.5 In line with the our approach to attributing private investment arrangements to ownership or
management as described in chapter 4, paragraph 0 we discuss the Build-Operate-Transfer
(BOT) airport management model arrangements for the Philippines under airport
management.
Philippines: Airport management
11.6 Private involvement in airport management in the Philippines occurs under the Build-Operate-
Transfer (BOT) airport management model arrangements.
11.7 Since the establishment of the CAAP in 2008, all major commercial airports in the Philippines
have been managed by the CAAP with exception of Ninoy Aquino (Manilla), Mactan-Cebu
(Cebu), and Clark (Angeles) international airports, along with Subic Bay Airport, a very small
airport. These airports are managed by independent state owned enterprises205 which were
created by the CAAP’s forerunner, the Air Transport Office (ATO).
11.8 The primary piece of legislation regulating the privatisation of airport management in the
Philippines is Republic Act No. 6957 2006 (RA 6957) as amended by Republic Act No. 7718
2012 (RA 7718), or The Philippine Amended BOT Law, which provides a framework for PPP
infrastructure development. RA 6957 allowed local government organisations to enter into
contractual arrangements with private sector organisations to fund infrastructure projects on
a Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) or Build-Transfer-Operate (BTO) basis. RA 7718 extended the
provisions of RA 6957 to include a larger number of government implementing agencies and
204
CAAP Statistics, accessed 8th March, http://www.caap.gov.ph/index.php/downloads/viewcategory/13-statistics
205
Clark International Airport Corporation, Mactan–Cebu International Airport Authority, Manila International Airport Authority
and Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority
June 2016 | 109

included other contractual arrangements to implement PPP projects. The Public-Private
Partnership (PPP) Program was created in 2010 in order to facilitate infrastructure
development and coordinate with the appropriate implementing agency.
Private management of airports in the Philippines
11.9 To date, Mactan-Cebu International is the only airport to have been let to a private operator
by Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) through the PPP program. GMR
Infrastructure Limited (GMR) and Megawide Construction Corporation (MCC), (an Indian-
Filipino consortium) were awarded the Mactan-Cebu project through a tendering process in
April 2014 with a winning bid of PHP 17.52 billion (approximately €0.34 billion) and took
operational control of the airport in November 2014. The operation of the airport, which
includes the construction of a new terminal building, has been let on a Build-Operate-Transfer
(BOT) basis for a period of 25 years. Soon after the contract was awarded in 2014, the
Supreme Court was petitioned206 by a senator and business leaders not to award the contract
on the grounds of unfair bidding procedures and the poor financial position and track record
of GMR-Megawide. However, in January 2016 the Supreme Court dismissed these petitions on
lack of merit grounds.
11.10 The PPP Center’s project database207 lists five further airports, shown in Table 11.2, that are
currently in the process of being let on an ‘Operate-Add-Transfer’ basis for a period of 30
years. The PPP Center states that the winning bidder will be required to operate and maintain
the airport as well as provide additional facilities and necessary improvements.
Table 11.2: Philippine PPP airport projects under procurement for OAT concessions (current in March 2016)
Airport City CY12 Passengers Project Cost

Bacolod–Silay Bacolod 1,518,417 PhP 20.26 Billion (€ 0.39 Billion)
Francisco Bangoy Davao 2,963,243 PhP 40.57 Billion (€ 0.79 Billion)
Iloilo Iloilo 1,854,427 PhP 30.40 Billion (€0.59 Billion)
Laguindingan Cagayan de Oro 1,614,157 PhP 14.62 Billion (€0.28 Billion)
Tagbilaran Panglao 734,207 PhP 2.34 Billion (€ 0.05 Billion)
208
Source: PPP Center
11.11 The start date for these concessions is not clear; a bulletin209 issued on the 22 February 2016
stated that the bid submission date for these projects, originally set for 29 February 2016, has
been delayed until further notice.
11.12 The five consortia, shown in Table 11.3, have pre-qualified as bidders for the PPP airport
projects shown in Table 11.2.
206 th
G.R. No. 214756, accessed 9 March 2016,
http://sc.judiciary.gov.ph/pdf/web/viewer.html?file=/jurisprudence/2016/january2016/211737.pdf
207 th
PPP Center project database, accessed 9 March 2016,
http://ppp.gov.ph/?page_id=26068&search=true&implementing_mode=Both&region=0&project_secto
r=1492&project_status=0&keyword=
208 th
PPP airport projects, accessed 9 March,
http://ppp.gov.ph/?page_id=26068&search=true&implementing_mode=Both&region=0&project_secto
r=1492&project_status=0&keyword=
209 st
General Bid Bulletin No. 25-2016, accessed 31 March, http://ppp.gov.ph/wp-
content/uploads/2016/02/DILPBABO-RegionalAirports-GBB-No-25-2016.pdf
June 2016 | 110

Table 11.3: Pre-qualified bidders for Philippine PPP airport projects under procurement (March 2016)
Consortium Company Origin Country

Filinvest-Jatco-Sojitz Consortium Filinvest Philippines
Japan Airport Terminal Japan
Cyberzone Properties Philippines
GMR Infrastructure and Megawide Consortium Megawide Construction Philippines

GMR India
Delhi International Airport India
Maya Consortium Aboitiz Equity Ventures Philippines

VINCI France
ANA-Aeroportos de Portugal Portugal
Therma South Philippines
Hedcor Sibulan Philippines
Philippine Airports Consortium Metro Pacific Investments Philippines

Aeroports de Paris France
SMHC-IIAC Airport Consortium San Miguel Holdings Philippines

Incheon International Airport South Korea
Star Infrastructure Development Philippines
Citra Metro Manila Tollways Philippines
Source: PPP Center
11.13 In the Philippines there are restrictions on how much involvement foreign companies can have
in operating airports. The Securities and Exchange Commission issued an opinion210 in
November 2015 which stated that airports are considered a public utility, and the foreign
investment negative list211 states that up to 40% foreign equity is permitted in the operation of
public utilities. All the consortia in Table 11.3 therefore contain a majority share of Filipino
companies. Other than this limitation there does not appear to be any issues with European
companies’ involvement, as three European companies have a place in one of the 5 shortlisted
consortia:
 VINCI Airports (France) and ANA (Portugal) are members of the Maya Consortium (NB.
VINCI now owns ANA, the company that holds a fifty-year concession for Portugal’s
airports); and
 Aeroports de Paris (France) is a member of the Philippine Airports Consortium.
11.14 The development of Ninoy Aquino International Airport is also listed in the PPP Center’s
project database. We understand that this project is still in early stages of development and
that The Department of Transportation and Communications and Manila International Airport
Authority are still awaiting approval from the National Economic and Development Authority.
210 th
SEC Opinion No. 15-14, accessed 9 March 2016,
http://www.sec.gov.ph/investorinfo/opinions/ogc/cy%202015/15-14.pdf
211
Executive Order No. 184 Promulgating the Tenth Regular Foreign Investment Negative List, accessed
th
9 March 2016, http://www.gov.ph/downloads/2015/05may/20150529-EO-0184-BSA.pdf
June 2016 | 111

Philippines: Ground handling
11.15 CAAP Regulation212 on ground handling states that air service providers must seek permission
from CAAP to use a third party ground handling service provider. At least 15 days prior to the
use of a new provider, air service providers must submit evidence containing the proposed
agreements for the services provided, CAAP then accepts or rejects these arrangements based
on whether the ground handling service provider is deemed to be able to provide an adequate
service.
11.16 The regulation also states that air service providers may, but are not obliged to, use service
providers for most of their ground handling needs. If some ground handling is provided by
service providers, the air service provider is required to monitor any external providers to
ensure ground handling operations are undertaken at the required standard.
11.17 The regulation does not explicitly mention the role of airports in granting access to ground
handling service providers. However, given all but 4 airports in the Philippines are operated by
CAAP, and CAAP grants permission to ground handling service providers to operate, the
implication is that service providers are required to gain permission to operate from the
airport operator in CAAP managed airports.
11.18 In response to an enquiry on whether 100% foreign owned companies could undertake
ground handling services, The Securities and Exchange Commission stated213 in November
2015 that ground handling services are essential to airport operations and are therefore part
of providing a public utility. This means that, like airport management, up to 40% foreign
equity is permitted in the operation of these services and therefore 100% foreign owned
companies are not permitted to provide airport ground handling services.
Market information
11.19 The market shares of the major companies in the Filipino ground handling market for ramp
and passenger services are shown in Figure 11.1.
212 th
ACCEPTABLE GROUND HANDLING ARRANGEMENTS, accessed 9 March 2016,
http://www.caap.gov.ph/index.php/downloads/finish/25-advisory-circular-ac/136-ac-09-007-
acceptable-ground-handling-arrangements
213
SEC Opinion No. 15-14
June 2016 | 112

Figure 11.1: Filipino ground handling market share by company (ramp and passenger)
Cebu Pacific Air

Macroasia
AirAsia Zest
23.4% Skylogistics
37.0% PAGSS
Tigerair Philippines
Miascor
17.4%
Dnata
AirAsia Philippines
0.2%
Various
0.6% 3.7% n.a.
4.0% 4.4%
0.6% 3.4%
5.3%
11.20 We estimate the total value of the Filipino ground handling market to be €163 million for ramp
and passenger services combined. Market share and size estimates have been developed in
line with the methodology described on page 34, however company specific turnover
information was not available.
11.21 The airports at which the major ground handling companies are active in the Philippines is
shown in Table 11.4. The major companies appear only to be active at the three busiest
airports - Ninoy Aquino (Manilla) , Mactan-Cebu (Cebu), Francisco Bangoy (Davao)
International Airports, plus Clark (Angeles) International Airport, which is currently undergoing
development work to become the largest airport in the Philippines (see Table 11.4).
11.22 There are currently no EU owned ground handling companies operating in the Philippines.
Dnata, a United Arab Emirates based company (fully owned by the Emirates Group), is the only
major foreign owned company operating in the Philippines and operates through a Philippines
based subsidiary. It appears that Dnata operates through a Philippines based subsidiary in
order to avoid breaching the 40% foreign equity rule. However, in February 2016 The Manila
Times reported214 that the general manager of Manila airport had been charged with corrupt
practices before the Office of the Ombudsman for awarding ground handling contracts to
Dnata. The structure and legality of Dnata’s operations in the Philippines therefore remains
unclear. An international ground handling operator (based in the EU) consulted during the
course of this study stated that they consider the Philippines to be a “highly competitive
market” and that they do not perceive any regulatory issues relating to access to the market
(although they are not present in the market themselves).
214 th
MIAA general manager charged with graft, date accessed 25 April 2016,
http://www.manilatimes.net/miaa-general-manager-charged-with-graft/245990/
June 2016 | 113

Table 11.4: Ground handling companies at major airports in the Philippines
Company Country of Locations

Ownership Ninoy Aquino Clark Mactan-Cebu Francisco Bangoy
Dnata UAE    
MacroAsia Philippines    
Miascor Philippines    
PAGS Philippines    
Sky Logistics Philippines    
215
Source: The IATA Ground Handling Council Directory, Handbook of Business Aviation , company websites
11.23 Information on ground handling companies operating at other airports in the Philippines is not
easily available; The IATA Ground Handling Council (IGHC) Directory216 does not list any service
providers for the majority of airports shown in Table 11.1. However, it is not clear whether this
is because ground handling services are provided by the airport itself, or by smaller ground
handling companies which may not be members of the IGHC. The overall role of airport
operators in providing ground handling services, as well as the existence of any monopolies
within an airport, is therefore unclear.
11.24 Figure 11.1 indicates that airlines have a significant share of the ground handling market in the
Philippines. The number of airports at which these airlines are present is shown in Table 11.5.
However, it is not clear whether these airlines only self-handle, whether this is at all their
destinations in the Philippines or only some, or if they provide ground handling services for
other airlines.
Table 11.5: Major airlines in the Philippines with a notable share in the ground handling market
Airline No of Philippine airports

AirAsia 9
Cebu Pacific 34
Tigerair 4
Source: Company websites
215 th
Handbook of Business Aviation, date accessed 14 March 2016,
http://www.handbook.aero/hb_philippines.html
216 th
The IATA Ground Handling Council (IGHC) Directory, date accessed 14 March 2016,
http://www.iata.org/publications/ighc-directory/Pages/index.aspx
June 2016 | 114

12 Case study: Turkey
Introduction
12.1 In this chapter we present the market analysis for airport ownership and management and
ground handling in Turkey.
Context
12.2 As of March 2016, there were 55 commercial airports in Turkey. In 2015, the Turkish air
transport market served a total of 181.3 million passengers, 97.4 million domestic, and 83.8
million international. The two Istanbul airports combined serve half of this traffic, as shown in
Table 12.1.
Table 12.1: Air transport passenger traffic in Turkey, 2015
Total Passenger Traffic (millions)...comprising 181.3

Domestic Passenger Traffic (millions) 97.4
International Passenger Traffic (millions) 83.8
Domestic Share In Total Traffic 53.8%
Top 10 Airports' Share In Total Passenger Traffic 88.8%
İstanbul Airports' Share In Total Passenger Traffic 49.3%
Source: DHMI, Steer Davies Gleave analysis
12.3 Table 12.2 lists the twenty Turkish airports with the highest number of passengers in 2015.
Table 12.2: Passenger Traffic at the 20 busiest Turkish Airports ( 2015 )
Rank Airport Name CY15 Passengers

1 İstanbul Atatürk 61,322,729
2 İstanbul Sabiha Gökçen 28,112,438
3 Antalya 27,724,249
4 Ankara Esenboğa 12,326,869
5 İzmir Adnan Menderes 12,139,788
6 Adana 5,369,260
7 Muğla Dalaman 4,377,101
8 Muğla Milas-Bodrum 3,877,603
9 Trabzon 3,361,450
10 Gaziantep 2,480,979
11 Diyarbakır 2,071,089
12 Kayseri 1,980,247
June 2016 | 115

Rank Airport Name CY15 Passengers
13 Samsun Çarşamba 1,716,993
14 Van Ferit Melen 1,394,328
15 Hatay 1,171,484
16 Erzurum 1,085,117
17 Konya 1,067,753
18 Elazığ 955,988
19 Gazipaşa Alanya 915,046
20 Malatya 767,701
Source: DHMI, http://www.dhmi.gov.tr/istatistik.aspx
12.4 The Turkish Ministry of Transport plans to build 6 new airports in the coming years, including
Artvin-Rize, Yozgat, Edirne-Kırklareli, Niğde Aksaray, Karaman and Batı Antalya airports, in
addition to İstanbul’s New Airport, planned to be the largest airport in the world once
construction is complete, with an annual capacity of 150 million passengers217.
Turkey: Airport ownership
Overview
12.5 In Turkey, all airports are owned by state or public entities; there are no privately owned
commercial airports and there is no private investment in airports.
12.6 Airports in Turkey are owned by state and public entities, with no privately owned airports.
This is due to Article 34 of Turkish Civil Aviation Law No.2920 which states that:
“Airports are established and operated by state or public legal entities. The need and the
standards to build airports, hangars, runways, service and operational facilities regarding civil
aviation are detected by Ministry of Transport in coordination with General Command of
Turkish Armed Forces. The permit for building airports by private individuals and private legal
entities is subject to the allowance of Ministry of Transport with positive deliberation of
General Command of Turkish Armed Forces.“218
Public entities’ ownership of Turkish Airports in 2015
12.7 Turkish airports are owned by state and public entities as follows:
 The State Airports Authority (DHMI) is a state economic enterprise (SEE), which has its
own legal identity, autonomy over its activities, is liability limited with its capital, and is
associated with Ministry of Transportation219. DHMI has expressed a wish to become
217
Airkule, http://www.airkule.com/haber/6-YENI-HAVALIMANI-YOLDA/22773, accessed 10 March
2016
218
Turkish Civil Aviation Law No.2920, http://www.mevzuat.gov.tr/MevzuatMetin/1.5.2920.pdf ,
accessed 10 March 2016
219
DHMI, http://www.dhmi.gov.tr/DHMIPageEN.aspx?PageID=34#.Vsy397SLSa8 , accessed 10 March
2016
June 2016 | 116

more commercial, to separate the ANSP function and perhaps to take on some private
shareholders in the medium term220.
 The Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) owns many airports which are operated both for civil
aviation purposes and military purposes in coordination with DHMI221.
 The Treasury Undersecretariat is a government body working under the Prime Ministry of
Turkey222.
 Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport is owned by a public capital based joint
stock company called Airport Management and Aviation Industries Inc. (HEAŞ).
Initially, HEAŞ managed the airport under the 96.4% capital share of the airport held
by the Undersecretariat for Defence Industries (SSM). HEAŞ was originally established
in partnership with the Turkish Undersecretariat for Defence Industries (SSM) (prime
position), TUSAŞ Aerospace Industries Inc. (TAI), Turkish Armed Forces Foundation
(TSKGV), Turkish Air Association (THK), ASELSAN Electronics Industry and Trade Inc.
(ASELSAN) and Air Electronic Industry and Trade Inc. (HAVELSAN). Since December
2014, TAI, ASELSAN and HAVELSAN transferred their HEAŞ shares to TSKGV, and HEAŞ
has continued its activities as a 3-partner company223.
 Anadolu University, a state university, owns Eskişehir Anadolu University Airport, a small
airport hosting commercial as well as training flights224.
12.8 A complete list of the ownership, status and management details of commercial airports in
Turkey is provided in Annex B.
Turkey: Airport management
12.9 Private management of airports is linked to management rights given to private companies via
concessions and BOTs. Private management of airports is not linked to any (partial or
otherwise) privatisation of the airport; as noted above private ownership of airport
infrastructure is not possible in Turkey under Turkish Civil Aviation Law 2920.
12.10 Currently (March 2016), 11 of the 55 commercial airports in Turkey are under private
management (Table 12.3). Management rights of these airports are temporarily allocated via
BOT or ROT (Rent-Operate-Transfer) arrangements. Ten are leased by DHMI to private
companies, and the management rights of İstanbul Sabiha Gökçen (İSG) airport is leased to
HEAŞ (former İSG later MAHB) by the Defence Industries Undersecretariat (SSM), which owns
İSG airport. The remaining 43 airports in Turkey are under the public management of DHMI
alone, or, for airports with civil-military status, co-management by DHMI & TSK. Eskişehir
Airport is managed by the government via Eskişehir Anadolu University.
220
Airport Business, “My vision is for DHMI to operate globally”, http://www.airport-
business.com/2015/10/vision-dhmi-operate-globally/, published 8 October 2015, accessed April 2016
221
TSK, http://www.tsk.tr/20_ingilizce_tsktr/index.html , accessed 10 March 2016
222
Turkish Treasury, http://www.treasury.gov.tr/en-US/Mainpage, accessed 10 March 2016
223
HEAŞ, http://www.sgairport.com/corporate/history-and-establishment-of-heas, accessed 10
March 2016
224
Turkish DGCA, http://web.shgm.gov.tr/tr/haberler/644-eskisehir-anadolu-universitesi-havaalani-
isletme-ruhsati-aldi , accessed 10 March 2016
June 2016 | 117

12.11 All airports except İstanbul Sabiha Gökçen and Eskişehir airports are supervised by DHMI and
the CAA. DHMI supervises the airports it manages and the privately managed airports at
Gazipaşa, Zafer, Aydın and Zonguldak are supervised via auditors from DHMI General
Directorate in Ankara. All other commercial airports with private or public management are
also subject to CAA supervision according to SHY-14A.
Table 12.3: Privately managed airports in Turkey (2016)
Airport Management Contract type (BOT or ROT) Oversight
DHMI ROT
Gazipaşa DHMI +
(TAV holds management rights (TAV Gazipaşa Yatırım, Yapım ve İşletme A.Ş.”
Alanya CAA
until 2034) won the management concession in 2007)
DHMI BOT
(IC İçtaş İnşaat Sanayi ve Ticaret (Tendered in 2010 with BOT model for 2 million DHMI +
Zafer
A.Ş holds management rights ppac domestic and international terminal built CAA
until 2044) by joint venture “IC İÇTAŞ)
DHMI ROT
Zonguldak (Zonguldak Özel Sivil Havacılık (Zonguldak Özel Sivil Havacılık Sanayi DHMI +
Çaycuma Sanayi ve Ticaret A.Ş. holds ve Ticaret A.Ş.” won the management rights CAA
management rights until 2034) concession in 2007)
DHMI
(Turkish Airlines Flight Academy ROT DHMI +
Aydın Çıldır
holds management rights until (Handover of management rights in 2012) CAA
2032)
BOT (HEAŞ) Undersecre
HEAŞ
İstanbul (Limak-GMR-Malaysia Airports won the BOT tariat for
Sabiha (ISG = Malaysia Airports Holdings Defence
tender in 2008. İSG holds operational rights for
Gökçen Berhad holds management rights (SSM) +
20 years from 31 December 2014 as Limak; GMR
until 2028) CAA
Group transferred its shares to MAHB in 2014.
BOT + ROT
Following the end of the BOT management
DHMI period, TAV won the concession for
İstanbul DHMI +
(TAV holds management rights management rights of the domestic and
Atatürk CAA
until 2021) international terminals, multistorey carpark and
general aviation terminal starting in 2005 for a
period of 15 years)
DHMI BOT
Ankara DHMI +
(TAV holds management rights (Tendered in 2004 with BOT model for 10 million
Esenboğa CAA
until 2023) ppac international terminal)
BOT + ROT
(Tendered in 2004 with BOT model for 5 million
DHMI ppac international terminal, in service in 2006.
İzmir Adnan DHMI +
(TAV holds management rights The original operation period ended in 2015,
Menderes CAA
until 2032) however facilities’ management was handed
over in 2012 with DHMI’s ROT condition to build
a new domestic terminal)
BOT + ROT
(Antalya Airport International Terminal:
DHMI Tendered in 1993 with BOT model for building 5
million passenger per annum capacity (ppac), in DHMI +
Antalya (IC- Fraport holds management service by 1998. The original operation period CAA
rights until 2024) ended in 2007, but a new domestic terminal was
built under an additional contract between DHMI
and Fraport–IC in 2009)
June 2016 | 118

Airport Management Contract type (BOT or ROT) Oversight
BOT + ROT
(Muğla Dalaman Airport International Terminal:
DHMI Tendered in 2003 with BOT model for 5 million
Muğla ppac international terminal, in service in 2006. DHMI +
Dalaman (YDA holds management rights CAA
The original operation period ended in 2015, and
until 2040)
following this the bid for management rights of
the domestic and international terminals was
won by YDA.)
BOT + ROT
(Milas-Bodrum Airport International Terminal:
Muğla DHMI Tendered in 2006 under BOT model for 5 million
ppac domestic terminal, in service by 2012. The DHMI +
Milas- (TAV holds management rights
original operation period ended in 2015. CAA
Bodrum until 2034)
Following this, as a result of the bid in 2014, TAV
Havalimanları Holding A.Ş won the management
concession)
Source: DHMI Activity Report 2014 http://www.dhmi.gov.tr/getBinaryFile.aspx?Type=9&dosyaID=573 (NB. No

change between 2014 and 2016)
12.12 Private management rights for airports are provided to private companies via concessions and
BOTs, as laid out in Law No 5335: The Law On Making Amendments On Some Laws (Article 33):
Article 33: "DHMI can handover the airports operated by DHMI and the terminals or other
airport facilities that are allocated to private sector via BOT projects and after the end of BOT
operation period by the methods as renting or concession of management rights specified at
The Law On The Privatisation Practices No 4046 / Article 18A-b, 18A-c via bids to private legal
entities for a period no more than 49 years. Depending on the project, DHMI can use one or
more methods together with the decision of DHMI Executive Board. The overhaul of the
operations, transparency of bid processes and the realisation of international standards are
made by DHMI. The value evaluation at bids are made by related departments of DHMI as
Finance Department, Research Planning and Coordination Department, Revenue Department,
Construction Department and head of related DHMI airport according to at least one of the
assessment methods specified in Law No: 4046/18B-c."225
12.13 Airport management is regulated by the Turkish CAA and DHMI regulations as follows:
 Civil Aviation Authority Directive SHY-14A: Airport Building, Operation and Certification,
and
 DHMI Airport Management & Operation Directive226.
12.14 SHY-14A covers all airports regardless of whether they have private or public management,
and the DHMI directive covers only those airports managed by DHMI.
Market situation
12.15 According to the DHMI activity report for 2014:
225
Law No 5335, http://www.mevzuat.gov.tr/MevzuatMetin/1.5.5335.pdf, accessed 10 March 2016
226
DHMI, http://www.dhmi.gov.tr/kanunyonetmelik.aspx#.Vtx9wbSLRdg, accessed 10 March 2016
June 2016 | 119

"By the end of 2014 the number of DMHI’s airport PPP projects in Turkey has reached 18.
Among those 18 projects, 10 of them are Build Operate Transfer projects under Law No.3996
and 8 of them are concessions as the handover of airport management rights of present
facilities under Law No.5335. "
12.16 Private management of airports in Turkey includes the management of terminal buildings,
ground handling, cargo operations and facilities, car parking, aircraft refuelling and
electrification operations, airport hotels, airport advertisement areas depending on the
management contract. Private management of airports in Turkey excludes air traffic control
services and related facilities which are managed and controlled by DHMI as the responsible
authority in Turkey for the provision of Air Traffic Services (ATS) within the entire territory of
Turkey227.
12.17 The role of private management in Turkish airports is limited by law under the Civil Aviation
Authority Directive SHY-14A: Airport Building, Operation and Certification and the DHMI
Airport Management & Operation Directive. Turkish CAA oversight covers all airports and
DHMI oversight covers airports managed by DHMI, and international oversight is in
accordance with ICAO and ECAC standards.
12.18 These regulations and audits set out the responsibilities, operational standards, violations and
penalties, airport charges, airport investments and upgrades, and relations among airport
managers, airport users and regulators.
12.19 The management rights given to private airport operators whether via BOTs or ROTs include a
management freedom within a limited framework drawn by DHMI and CAA regulations. Hence
private operators' managements are subject to conditions settled by DHMI and CAA.
12.20 Management rights do not ensure a full laissez-faire freedom to private operators. For
example, operators cannot set airport charges without the approval of Transport Ministry
(DHMI and CAA), nor can they build new facilities or runways without DHMI or CAA approval.
DHMI and CAA set the conditions and audit for quality standards of airport operations and
there are various regulations on groundhandling services including rules on maximum number
of GHs at an airport, GH operation licences, etc. There are penalties for airport operators for
the violations of DHMI and CAA regulations.
12.21 Airport operators may negotiate contracts with airlines, organise airside and land areas
(location of boarding gates by destinations and airlines, and space allocation for check-in
shops, restaurants ,etc.), and can select contractors for various services including airport
security, cleaning, utilities, and so on. Airport operators may also lease various airport units as
shops, advertisement boards, car parks, etc. DHMI and CAA are the authorities responsible for
the audit of airport operations in line with national and international standards, all of which
are written in comprehensive contracts with the related private airport operator.
Turkish airport management concessions
12.22 Concessions in Turkey are awarded following a bidding process for a maximum duration of 49
years.
227
DMHI, http://www.ssd.dhmi.gov.tr/page.aspx?mn=23, accessed 10 March 2016
June 2016 | 120

12.23 To date in Turkey there have been 8 airport management concessions228 agreed between
DHMI and private companies (as noted in paragraph 12.15), and 1 concession between the
Under Secretariat Of Defence (HEAŞ) and İSG (after 2014, MAHB). The scope of the
concessions is laid out in the contract, and varies in coverage of terminal and/or other airport
facilities and duration of management rights. In line with Law 5335/ Article 33, a number of
concessions started after the end of a BOT project with a new bidding process (e.g. İstanbul
Atatürk Airport) and others include requirements to build new airport facilities (e.g. İzmir
Airport).
12.24 According to Law 5335/Article33, DHMI is authorised to hand over management rights of
airports operated by DHMI, as well as airports that are constructed under a BOT model and
after the last BOT operation period, to private legal entities via a bidding process for a
maximum of 49 years. A list229 of the private management contracts controlled by DHMI via
Rent Operate Transfer model is provided following:
 Atatürk Airport Passenger Terminals: Following the end of a BOT management period,
TAV Istanbul Terminal Işletmeciliği A.Ş. won the concession for management rights of the
domestic and international terminals, multistorey carpark and general aviation terminal at
the airport, starting in 2005 for a period of 15 years for $3.01 billion (approximately €2.6
billion).
 Antalya Airport 1st and 2nd Phase International Terminal, CIP, Domestic Terminal:
Fraport-IC Içtaş Antalya Havalimani Terminal Yatirim ve Işletmeliği A.Ş. won the 2007 bid
for management rights with a bid of €2.4 billion (VAT included) for a concession lasting
until the end of 2024. In addition, a new domestic terminal was built under an additional
contract between DHMI and Fraport-IC, signed in 2009 and operational from 2010.
 Zonguldak Çaycuma Airport: Zonguldak Özel Sivil Havacilik Sanayi ve Ticaret A.Ş. won the
management rights concession via a bidding process in 2007 for a period of 25 years.
 Gazipaşa Alanya Airport: TAV Gazipaşa Yatirim, Yapim ve Işletme A.Ş. won the
management concession bid in 2007, with handover in 2009 and concession period until
2034. The annual rent includes 65% of the airport's net profit and a $50,000
(approximately €44,000) facility usage cost.
 Izmir Adnan Menderes Airport International Terminal, CIP, Domestic Terminal: TAV Ege
Terminal Yatirim Yapim ve Işletme A.Ş. won the management rights with a bid of €610
million, which included a condition from DHMI to build a new domestic terminal at the
airport. Handover of facilities' management is from 2012 to 2032. TAV completed
construction of the new domestic terminal in 2014 with an investment cost of €269
million.
228
Private management can be allocated via BOTs or ROTs and there are grey areas between the two
arrangements. There are 11 airports under private management. Eight are currently privately managed
via DHMI ROT concessions and a number of those ROTs were the transformation of previous BOTs (see
Table 12.3). The airports under private management only by BOTs (Ankara, Zafer and İSG) are not
included in this list of 8. There are also airports which had ROT management concessions that included
special conditions to build additional airport facilities. The transformation from BOT to ROT at the end
of BOT period is enabled by Law 5335. Finally, there are cases where DHMI applied special construction
conditions to ROT contracts made with private airport operators.
229
DHMI Activity Report 2014, p.145-148, www.dhmi.gov.tr/getBinaryFile.aspx?Type=9&dosyaID=,
accessed 12 March 2016
June 2016 | 121

 Aydin Çildir Airport: The 2012 bid for management rights was won by THY A.O.
Management rights included conditions for recreational aviation, pilot training, and other
flights for aircraft suitable for the existing runway, for an annual cost of 7% of the airport's
net profit and a $20.000 (approximately €18,000) charge for annual facility usage.
Concession period is 2012 - 2032.
 Muğla Milas - Bodrum Airport International Terminal, CIP, Domestic Terminal:
Following the end of a BOT management period in 2015, and as a result of the 2014 bid,
TAV Havalimanlari Holding A.Ş won the management concession rights, covering the
period up to 2036.
 Muğla Dalaman Airport International and Domestic Terminal: Following the end of BOT
building and operation period in 2015, the bid for management rights of the domestic and
international terminals of Dalaman Airport was won by YDA INŞAAT SANAYI VE TICARET
A.Ş. with a bid of €705 million plus VAT.
12.25 An overview of these concessions is provided in Table 12.4.
Table 12.4: DHMI Rent-Operate-Transfer projects (concessions)
Concession
Airport & Project Rent Cost Operation Period
end date
Atatürk Airport Passenger
$2,543,000,000 + VAT 15.5 years 03/01/2021
Terminals
Antalya Airport Passenger 1st phase 17 years 3 months
€2,010,000,000 + VAT 31/12/2024
Terminals 2nd phase 15 years 3 months
Rent cost is a multiple of 1.06
Zonguldak Çaycuma Airport of its revenue + annual 25 years 20/08/2032
$32,291 facility usage cost
Rent cost is 65% of its net
Gazipaşa Alanya Airport profit + $50,000 annual facility 25 years 13/07/2034
usage cost
Domestic: 20 years 11 months
İzmir Adnan Menderes
€610,000,000 + VAT International: 17 years 11 31/12/2032
Passenger Terminals
months
Rent cost is 7% of its annual
Aydın Çıldır Airport net profit + $20,000 annual 20 years 20/07/2032
facility usage cost
Milas-Bodrum Airport Domestic: 21 years 5 months
€717,000,000 + VAT 31/12/2035
Passenger Terminals International: 20 years 2 months
Dalaman Airport Domestic: 26 years 4 months
€705,000,000 + VAT 31/12/2040
Passenger Terminals International: 25 years 8 months
Source: DHMI Activity Report 2014
BOT projects
12.26 There have been 8 BOT projects concluded between DHMI and private companies under Law
3996 Build Operation Transfer Investments, with 1 BOT project currently underway (Istanbul
New Airport). One BOT project (Çukurova Airport) was cancelled by government due to the
June 2016 | 122

financial problems of the private company winning the bid. Details230 are as follows and are
summarised in Table 12.5:
 Antalya Airport International Terminal: Tendered in 1993 under the BOT model to build a
terminal with 5 million passenger per annum capacity (ppac). Completed and in service by
1998, and the operation period of the terminal ended in 2007.
 Atatürk Airport International Terminal: Tendered in 2007 under the BOT model for a 14
million ppac terminal and in service in 2000. Capacity was expanded to 20 million ppac
with an additional terminal facility that entered operation in 2004. The operation period
ended in 2005.
 Antalya Airport 2nd International Terminal: Tendered in 2003 under the BOT model to
construct a 2nd international terminal with 5 million ppac, in order to meet additional
traffic demand at the airport. Completed and in service by 2005. The operation period of
the terminal ended in 2009.
 Muğla Dalaman Airport International Terminal: Tendered in 2003 under a BOT model to
construct a 5 million ppac international terminal. Terminal in service in 2006 and the
operation period ended in 2015.
 Ankara Esenboğa Airport Domestic and International Terminal: Tendered in 2004 under
a BOT model to construct a 10 million ppac international terminal. Terminal in service in
2006 and the operation period is until 2023.
 Izmir Adnan Menderes International Terminal: Tendered in 2004 under a BOT model for
a 5 million ppac international terminal. Terminal in service in 2006, and the operation
period ended in 2015.
 Milas-Bodrum Airport International Terminal: Tendered in 2006 under a BOT model for a
5 million ppac domestic terminal. Terminal in service in 2012 and the operation period
ended in 2015.
 Zafer Airport: Tendered in 2010 under a BOT model for a 2 million ppac domestic and
international terminal to be constructed under a joint venture IC IÇTAŞ Zafer Bölgesel
Havaalani Yatirim ve Işletme A.Ş. In service by 2012 and the operation period ends in
2023.
 Istanbul New Airport: Tendered in 2013 with a €10.2 billion BOT investment value and
€22.1 billion plus VAT to be paid over the 25 year operation period by the joint venture
company IGA Havalimani Işletmesi Anonim Şirketi" (including Limak Inş. San. ve Tic.,
A.Ş./Kolin Inş.Tur., San. ve Tic. A.Ş./Cengiz Inş.San. ve Tic. A.Ş./, Mapa Inş. ve Tic.
A.Ş./Kalyon Inş. San. Tic. A.Ş. Ortak Girişimi).
 Cancelled BOT Project - Çukurova Airport: This BOT project contract was cancelled by
government due to financial problems experienced by the joint venture company after
the bid period. The airport is now planned to be constructed by government.
230
DHMI Activity Report 2014, p.145-148 www.dhmi.gov.tr/getBinaryFile.aspx?Type=9&dosyaID=
June 2016 | 123

Table 12.5: DHMI BOT projects
Investment & Rent

Airport & Project Operation Period End date
Cost
Antalya Airport 1st International
75.902.000 $ 9 years 45 days 13 / 09 / 2007
Terminal
Antalya Airport 2nd International
85.386.000 $ 3 years 5 months 22 / 09 / 2009
Terminal
Atatürk Airport International
$397,793,500 4 years 10 months 02/07/2005
Terminal
Dalaman Airport International
$91,997,688 8 years 2 months 28/04/2015
Terminal
Adnan Menderes Airport
$181,941,685 7 years 4 months 10/01/2015
International Terminal
Ankara Esenboğa Airport
Domestic & International $247,200,350 15 years 8 months 24/05/2023
Terminal
Milas-Bodrum Airport
$116,122,330 3 years 9 months 22/10/2015
International Terminal
29 years 11
Zafer Airport $65,500,000 21/03/2044
months
€ 10,247,000,000
Investment Cost
İstanbul New Airport 25 Years 25YearsAfterInitialOperation(2043)
€ 22,152,000,000
Rent Cost
231
Note: Çukurova Airport BOT project was cancelled by government decision so it is excluded from this table.
Source: DHMI Activity Report 2014
12.27 In addition to the DHMI controlled BOTs and concessions there is one further airport under
private management, Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen Airport. Sabiha Gökçen Airport opened on 8
January 2001 and was the first privately operated airport in Turkey. Management of Sabiha
Gökçen Airport was awarded to a public capital based joint stock company that operates
within the Turkish Commercial Code. From January 2000, Airport Management and Aviation
Industries Inc. (HEAŞ) began managing the airport under the 96.4% capital share held by the
Undersecretariat for Defense Industries. As a result of a bid in July 2007, HEAŞ transformed
Sabiha Gökçen to ISG (Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport Investment Development
and Operation Inc.), a consortium of Limak-GMR-Malaysia Airports. ISG holds operational
rights for Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport for 20 years, which includes the
management of terminal buildings, car park, ground handling, cargo and aircraft refuelling
operations, the airport hotel and CIP facilities.
12.28 In addition to the €1.9 billion paid for the operational rights, ISG was required to further invest
a minimum €336 million in the airport. A new terminal building was built, increasing the
231
Haberler, http://www.haberler.com/cukurova-havalimani-ni-devlet-yapacak-8167731-haberi/, accessed 6
April 2016
June 2016 | 124

annual passenger capacity of the airport to 25 million passengers per annum, and put into
service on 31 October 2009232.
Foreign investment
12.29 There is no regulation prohibiting or discriminating the rights of managing airports on the basis
of nationality of private entities. Direct Foreign Investments Law No: 4875 treats foreign
private companies equal with Turkish private companies:
4875/Article 3: "Unless the opposite is obliged by international agreements and special laws:
The investment of foreign companies to Turkey is free. Foreign investors are subject to same
conditions and treatments with Turkish investors. Direct foreign investments can't be
expropriated unless there is a specific public benefit and the worth is paid to foreign investor.
Foreign investors can freely transfer their revenues, net profits, credits and interest payments
related to their activities in Turkey via banks and financial corporations. In case of any
disagreement among the parties of investments national and international courts can be
addressed." 233
12.30 In order to obtain the right to manage an airport in Turkey, foreign operators must win a bid
let by DHMI or another state body (e.g. the Defence Industries Undersecretariat for ISG
airport) that owns the relevant airport. Turkish and foreign operators are subject to the same
Laws and Directives in relation to this234 235 236.
12.31 There are 2 EU operators which are directly involved with the management of airports in
Turkey:
 Fraport AG: Fraport has operated International Terminal 1 at Antalya Airport since 1999.
Under a separate, new, concession in 2007, Fraport and its partner IC Holding manage
International Terminal 1 as well as the Domestic Terminal as ICF Airports. ICF Airports
took over management of International Terminal 2 in 2009, and as a result currently
operates each terminal at Antalya Airport.237
 Aéroports de Paris Group: Since 2012, ADP has owned a 38% share of the Turkish airport
operator TAV Airports and a 49% share of TAV Construction. TAV Airports is Turkey's
global brand in airport operations and currently operates Istanbul Atatürk, Ankara
Esenboga, Izmir Adnan Menderes, Milas-Bodrum and Gazipaşa-Alanya Airports in Turkey.
In addition to airport operations, the holding also operates, through its affiliates and
232
Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen Airport, http://www.sgairport.com/corporate/history-and-establishment-
of-heas, accessed 12 March 2016
233
Law No. 4875, http://www.mevzuat.gov.tr/MevzuatMetin/1.5.4875.pdf, accessed 10 March 2016
234
Law 3996: The Law On Built Operate Transfer Model For Some Investments & Services, (Council of
Ministers Decision dated 26/4/2011 abolishing former Law dated 8/6/1994),
http://www.dhmi.gov.tr/getBinaryFile.aspx?Type=2&dosyaID=3, accessed March 2016
235
Law No 4046: The Law On The Privatisation Practices,
www.mevzuat.gov.tr/MevzuatMetin/1.5.4046.doc, accessed March 2016
236
SHY-14A: CAA Directive On Airport Building, Operating and Certification,
www.shgm.gov.tr/doc3/shy14a.doc, accessed March 2016
237
Fraport, http://www.fraport.com/en/the-fraport-group/fraport-worldwide/our-airports/antalya-
airport-ayt.html, accessed March 2016
June 2016 | 125

subsidiaries, auxiliary airport services including duty-free, food and beverage, ground
handling services, IT, security and operation services. 238 239
12.32 Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB) holds the operation rights at Istanbul Sabiha
Gökçen airport. Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport Investment Development and
Operation Inc. (ISG), was founded in partnership by Limak Holding (LIMAK), GMR
Infrastructure Limited (GMR), and Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (MAHB). ISG holds 20
year operation rights at the airport as of May 1 2008, which includes management of the
terminal buildings, car park, ground handling, cargo and aircraft refuelling operations, the
airport hotel and CIP facilities. ISG has changed form since the contract award, from 30 April
2014 GMR Group transferred its shares to MAHB. 240
Turkey: Ground handling
12.33 The Turkish ground handling market is regulated by a Civil Aviation Authority Directive named
SHY-22241, which categorises ground handling activities and ground handling company
licences. SHY-22 applies to all commercial airports in Turkey. Ground handling activities are
grouped as follows:
 Representation;
 Passenger Traffic;
 Freight control and communication;
 Ramp: Ramp, cargo and post, aircraft cleaning, control of unit loading equipment;
 Aircraft line maintenance;
 Flight operation;
 Transport;
 Catering;
 Overhaul and management; and
 Aviation security.
12.34 SHY-22 defines three groups of ground handling licences:
 An A Group Licence is provided to companies that operate at a minimum of three
international airports in Turkey for all services or at a minimum passenger traffic, freight
control and communication, ramp (cargo and post, aircraft cleaning, control of unit
loading equipment) services. A Group Licence holders must have a minimum paid capital
of $3 million.
 A B Group Licence is provided to airlines self-handling for all or some of the ground
handling activities defined in the law.
 A C Group Licence is provided to companies who undertake representation, overhaul and
management, aviation security, catering or flight operation services. C Group Licence
holders must have paid capital minimum of $200,000.
238
TAV, http://www.tavhavalimanlari.com.tr/en-EN/Pages/History.aspx, accessed March 2016
239
ADP, http://www.aeroportsdeparis.fr/en/group/group-strategy/international/tav-airports-
construction, accessed March 2016
240
Sabiha Gökçen, http://www.sabihagokcen.aero/corporate-info/about-isg, accessed March 2016
241
DMHI, www.dhmi.gov.tr/getBinaryFile.aspx?Type=2&dosyaID=204, Accessed March 2016
June 2016 | 126

12.35 Apart from SHY-22, DHMI has its own ground handling directives to be applied at airports
managed by DHMI. DHMI ground handling directives therefore do not cover all airports in
Turkey and excludes airports such as İstanbul Sabiha Gökçen Airport and Eskişehir Airport.
12.36 There are specific DHMI ground handling directives for different services including:
 Minimum Staff and Equipment Requirements of Ground handling Companies;
 Follow-Me and Marshalling Services;
 Airport Snow Intervention;
 Vehicle Use at Runway-Apron-Taxi Areas;
 Passenger Boarding Bridges; and
 Catering Services.
12.37 All DHMI directives refer to the Turkish CAA directives on ground handling (SHY-22) and
Airport Building Management and Certification (SHY-14A) as well as ICAO (Annex-14 Airports)
and Turkish Civil Aviation Law 2920. The purpose of the DHMI ground handling directives is to
specify the principles and standards for ground handling services so that these services are
practiced in accordance with ICAO’s international standards and are in line with the Turkish
CAA directives and Turkish Civil Aviation Law 2920.
12.38 Regardless of the ground handling service type, all handlers are responsible for the full
adherence to rules and standards as per the DHMI ground handling directives. If a handler
does not confirm compliance with DHMI ground handling standards, no permit would be
issued and access to airports would not be possible. In case of any violations during airport
operations, DHMI applies penalties including temporarily or permanently prohibiting handlers'
access to airports via cancelation of handlers’ permits in coordination with Ministry of
Transport.
Granting of permission to operate
12.39 According to the SHY-22 Directive, permission for a handler to operate at an airport in Turkey
is provided by the Ministry of Transport via Preliminary Permissions and following the grant of
an Operation Licence. The opinion of DHMI may be sought during this process if necessary for
operational reasons (e.g. against criteria such as Runway Apron Taxiway areas, capacity for
ground handling vehicle traffic, space allocation availabilities for vehicle parking areas and
facilities, physical structure and expected market position, and additional capacity needs.)
12.40 The Turkish CAA also decides on the number of ground handlers to operate at airports, via
SHY-22/Article 12, which sets maximum number of Group A ground handlers as follows:
"For the airports with total (international + domestic) annual passenger traffic less than 1
million passengers maximum 2 ground handlers can have Preliminary Permission and
Operation Licence, between 1 million-2 million passengers maximum 3 ground handlers can
have Preliminary Permission and Operation Licence, more than 2 million passengers extra 1
ground handler for each extra 2 million passengers can have Preliminary Permission and
Operation Licence.”
12.41 Airports have no right to reject or accept the request of a ground handling company to provide
its services on the basis that there would not be space or market volume, or on the basis of
nationality or place of establishment of the handler - any rejection on these bases can only be
made by Ministry of Transport-CAA as explained in SHY-22. This practice is confirmed by a
Turkish ground handling provider.
June 2016 | 127

12.42 Regarding the airlines’ choice of ground handler, airlines are free to choose their own handler,
with the exception of SHY-22/Article 18, which limits airlines’ freedom of handler choice for
same service: “For the same ground handling service type airlines cannot settle agreements
with more than one ground handler in the same airport“. This also limits the number of
handlers at airports over airlines’ ground handler options.
Restrictions on nationality of ground handling companies
12.43 As ruled by SHY-22, company nationality has an impact on the ability to provide ground
handling services in Turkey. Depending on the nationality of the ground handling company or
its place of establishment, there are differences in access to the ground handling market and
operations:
SHY-22/Article7: "For ground handlers demanding Group A or C operation certificate the
majority of the managers or representatives of the company must be Turkish citizens and
according to main company contract majority of the company votes must be at Turkish
partners. Ground handlers demanding Group A Licence must give bank guarantee letters to
DHMI for the amount of 1 million $ for the responsibilities that may occur due to "Service
Contract" they will arrange, whereas Group B and Group C Operation Licence demanding
ground handlers must give 100.000$ bank guarantee letter to DHMI. However for ground
handlers registered to other countries that allow Turkish air carriers to provide the same
services abroad they will be treated according to the principle of reciprocity for guarantee
letter. Enterprises demanding to have Group A or Group C Operation Licence have to be
registered in commercial registration system in Turkey according to Turkish Commerce Law No
6762 and publish their contracts and present it to Ministry of Transport".
Market Information
12.44 The market shares of the major companies in the Turkish ground handling market for ramp
Figure 12.1: Turkish ground handling market share by company (ramp)
Turkish Ground Services

2.0% 20.9% TGS
Havas
47.0% Celebi
Pegasus
11.5%
n.a.
18.6%
June 2016 | 128

Figure 12.2: Turkish ground handling market share by company (passenger)
Turkish Ground Services

TGS
21.0%
Havas
0.8%
Celebi
2.0%
47.2%
Pegasus
11.4%
Groupe Europe Handling
17.6% n.a.
12.45 We estimate the total value of the Turkish ground handling market to be €838 million for ramp
on page 34. There is currently no official data on total ground handling market size and share
in Turkey. Neither DHMI nor TurkStat (the national statistics office) provide this data. CAA
Turkey (DGCA) plans to collect this data from July 2016. There is some limited data published
by ground handlers themselves, which is provided in Table 12.7 below.
Spread of activities of ground handling organisations
12.47 The number of ground handling companies holding Group A, B and C licenses in Turkey is
shown in Table 12.6.
Table 12.6: Number of ground handling companies in Turkey by licence type (2014)
Ground handler Type Number of companies

Group A License 3
Group B License 17
Group C License 27
Total 47
Group A: Ground handlers authorised at minimum 3 international airports to provide all GH services types.
Group B: Self-handling airlines that are authorised to provide all or some of ground handling service types for
themselves or if airline holds A licence to other airlines as well.
Group C: Ground handlers authorised for representation, overhaul and management, security, catering and flight
operation services
Source: CAA Turkey (DGCA) Activity Report 2014
June 2016 | 129

12.48 Three ground handling companies hold A-Group licences in Turkey, and the activities of all
three are spread across a number of airports in Turkey:
 Havaş, which is 100% owned by Turkish airport operator TAV Airports.
 TGS (Turkish Ground Services), which is jointly owned by Turkish Airlines and TAV
(Havaş), with each holding 50% of the shares.
 Çelebi Hava Hizmetleri A.Ş, operating since 1958 and the first private ground handling
company in Turkey.
12.49 Company information and airports of operation for these three companies is provided in Table
12.7.
Table 12.7: Group A licenced ground handlers in Turkey, company information (2014)
Market Share Flights Served &

Company Airports Shareholders & Nationality
By Turnover Turnover ( € )
Shareholders:
584,520 flights
8 airports: 50% THY
(approx. 50% of
TGS all flights in İstanbul Atatürk, 50% TAV (HAVAŞ)
(Turkish Turkey) İstanbul Sabiha (AéroportDeParis owns 38% of TAV)
not available
Ground 60 million pax Gökçen, İzmir, Adana,
Services) Ankara, Bodrum,
242 Nationality:
Dalaman, Antalya
€203 million Turkish company by country of
commercial registration
29 airports:
Adana, Ankara,
Antalya, Bingöl,
Shareholders:
Bodrum, Bursa
Yenişehir, Çorlu, 78.36% Çelebi Havacılık Holding A.Ş.
Dalaman, Diyarbakır, (Zeus Aviation Services Investments
Çelebi Erzurum, İstanbul B.V., a Dutch company, owns a
Hava Atatürk, İzmir, Isparta, 39.18% share in Çelebi Havacılık
Servisi not available 193,042 flights Kars, Kayseri, Malatya, Holding A.Ş.)
A.Ş. Mardin, Samsun, 21,64% Çelebi Family members
Trabzon, Van, Denizli,
Hatay,
Nationality:
Kahramanmaraş,
Turkish company by country of
Erzincan, Balıkesir
commercial registration
Edremit, Çanakkale,
Iğdır, Kocaeli , İstanbul
243
Sabiha G.
242
TGS, http://tr.tgs.aero/, accessed 15 March 2016
243
Çelebi, http://www.celebiyatirimci.com/files/faaliyetraporlari/fr2014.pdf, accessed 15 March 2016
June 2016 | 130

Market Share Flights Served &
Company Airports Shareholders & Nationality
By Turnover Turnover ( € )
26 airports:
İstanbul Atatürk,
Ankara, İzmir, Adana, Shareholders:
Antalya, Bodrum, 100% TAV
Dalaman, Gaziantep, (Aeroport De Paris owns 38% of TAV
Gazipaşa, Trabzon, shares)
Havaş not available not available Kayseri, Kastamonu,
Konya, Şanlıurfa,
Şırnak, Sivas, Nationality:
Adıyaman, Muş, Elazığ, Turkish company by country of
Batman, Nevşehir, commercial registration
Sinop, Merzifon, Ağrı,
244
Kütahya, Ordu
Source: TGS, Turkish Airlines, Celebi, TAV
12.50 The vast majority of Group B and Group C licence holders operate at multiple airports in
Turkey, with the exceptions outlined in Table 12.8.
Table 12.8: Ground handlers operating at only one airport in Turkey
Airport Group B Licensed Ground handlers Service Type
1.Passenger Traffic
Istanbul Atatürk İran Islam Republic Airlines 2.Freight Control And
Communication
1.Freight Control And
Istanbul Atatürk Lufthansa Airlines Communication
2.Aircraft Line Maintenance
1.Passenger Traffic
Istanbul Atatürk Saudi Arabia Airlines 2.Freight Control And
Communication
Istanbul Atatürk Swiss International Air Lines Ltd. Turkey İstanbul

1. Aircraft Line Maintenance
Branch
Airport Group C Licensed Ground handlers Service Type
Istanbul Atatürk Airpak Temizlik Hiz. San. Ve Tic. A.Ş Overhaul And Management
Samsun Çarşamba Akyol Gida Tur.İnş.Pet.Tic.Ltd.Şti. Catering
Beştepe Gida Güvenlik Temizlik İnşaat Tur. San

Kayseri Catering
Ve Tic.Ltd.Şti.
Number of ground handling organisations per airport

12.51 A list of ground handling organisations at Turkish airports is provided in Annex C.
244
TAV, http://www.tavyatirimciiliskileri.com/en-EN/Pages/FactSheet_2.aspx, accessed 15 March
2016
June 2016 | 131

12.52 The majority of airports in Turkey have at least one Group A and one Group B company, with
the largest (Antalya, Istanbul Atatürk) having up to 13 (all three Group A companies, and 10
Group B companies).
12.53 Group C ground handlers tend to concentrate on certain services. THY DO&CO provides
catering services only at major airports including İstanbul, Ankara, and Antalya. LGS Sky Chefs
also provides catering services at major airports (Ankara, İzmir, Antalya, İstanbul Atatürk),
whereas Beştepe Gıda A.Ş. provides catering services at Kayseri Airport only. Gözen Güvenlik
A.Ş. provides Aviation Security services only and operates at Ankara, İzmir, Antalya and
İstanbul. Sistem Güvenlik provides Aviation Security services only and operates only at İstanbul
Atatürk airport. Adriyatik LTD, Airmark, Merkür and Atlasjet companies supply Overhaul and
Management and Representation services at multiple airports. ACM Air Charter and Bilen
Havacılık companies provide Flight Operation and Overhaul and Management services at
various airports.
12.54 There are 28 airports in Turkey with only one Group A licenced ground handler. The majority
of these airports are very small, with passenger numbers lower than 0.5 million in 2015. There
are only two airports on this list with passenger numbers greater than 2 million in 2015 (the
EU ground handling Directive threshold): Diyarbakir with 2.1 million passengers, and Gaziantep
with 2.5 million. There are 21 airports in Turkey with only one Group B licenced ground
handler. The majority of Turkish airports involve the operations of more than one Group C
ground handler and there are only 3 airports with only one:
 Kocaeli (LGS Sky Chief: Catering);
 Sivas (ACM Air: Overhaul and Management); and
 Zafer (Gözen Havacılık: Overhaul and Management).
12.55 There are 30 airports in Turkey with only one ground handler present any of the three licence
groups:
 10 airports with 2 million or more passengers;
 10 airports with between 0.5 - 2 million passengers; and
 10 airports with less than 0.3 million passengers.
12.56 Catering, Transport, Aviation Security and Aircraft Line Management services tend to be those
services with only one provider at the airport.
12.57 As an indicative example, we provide below a list of the companies providing ground handling
services at Istanbul Atatürk Airport in 2015. All three Group A licence holders provide services
at Istanbul Atatürk Airport in 2015 (Table 12.9).
Table 12.9: Ground handling A Group Licences At Atatürk Airport, 2015
Ground handling company Service type
1. Passenger Traffic
Çelebi Hava Servisi A.Ş. 2. Freight Control And Communication
3. Ramp
Çelebi Hava Servisi A.Ş. Overhaul And Management
Havaş Transport
1. Overhaul And Management
Havaş 3. Freight Control And Communication
4. Ramp
5. Flight Operations
June 2016 | 132

Ground handling company Service type
1. Overhaul And Management
Tgs Yer Hizmetleri A.Ş.
3. Freight Control And Communication
4. Ramp
Source: DHMI http://www.dhmi.gov.tr/DHMIPage.aspx?mnuID=35#.VtYtv7SLRdg
12.58 Five companies that hold ground handling Group B licences (i.e. self-handling licences) provide
services at Istanbul Atatürk Airport in 2015 (Table 12.10).
Table 12.10: Group B ground handling licences at Atatürk Airport By Company & Service Type, 2015
Company Service Type

Atlasjet Havacilik A.Ş.
2.Flight Operation
İran İslam Cumhuriyeti 1.Passenger Traffic
Hava Yollari 2.Freight Control And Coommunication
1.Freight Control And Coommunication
Lufthansa Alman Hava Yollari
Mng Hava Yollari Ve Taşimacilik A.Ş Aircraft Line Maintenance
1.Freight Control And Coommunication
Mng Hava Yollari Ve Taşimacilik A.Ş
2.Flight Operation
Mng Hava Yollari Ve Taşimacilik A.Ş Ramp
Onur Air Taşimacilik A.Ş. Aircraft Line Maintenance
Onur Air Taşimacilik A.Ş. Flight Operation
Source: DHMI http://www.dhmi.gov.tr/DHMIPage.aspx?mnuID=35#.VtYtv7SLRdg
Role of airport operators in ground handling

12.59 In 54 airports in Turkey, ground handling services are provided by ground handling companies
via Group A licence holders (TGS, HAVAŞ, Çelebi), self-handling air carriers with Group B
licences (Pegasus, İran Airways, etc.) and Group C handlers (Gözen, Turkish DO&CO, Adriyatik,
etc.). Whilst a number of these handlers are owned by airport operators (e.g. Havaş is 100%
owned by TAV, TGS is 50% -50% owned by TAV & THY) each of ground handling organisations
has separate financial accounts and separate legal entities from their parent companies, in
accordance with SHY-22/Article 7. Group A ground handling licences are issued to the
providers as separate legal entities from their parent companies operating in the market. The
Group A ground handling companies therefore have the authority to settle agreements with
airlines and carry out their responsibilities to the Ministry of Transport on their own.
12.60 Based on the information provided by consulted stakeholders through the course of this study,
Zonguldak Airport appears to be the only airport that provides ground handling services itself.
The airport operator Zonguldak Sivil Havacılık A.Ş. (Zonhav) provides ground handling services
including passenger traffic, freight control, communication, and ramp services. There are two
other active ground handlers at Zonguldak Airport: F.L.Y and Gözen Havacılık, which provide
Overhaul and Management services. The driver for these separate providers is linked to SHY-
22 Article 18, which requires that:
“Ground handlers providing passenger traffic, freight control, communication and ramp
services to an airline cannot provide overhaul and management to the same airline.”
June 2016 | 133

12.61 The exceptional case of Zonguldak Airport was also confirmed by DHMI and CAA. The CAA
stated that the provision of ground handling services by the airport operator is only possible if
there is no other ground handler providing the services required at the airport, as is the case
at Zonguldak.
12.62 There is no data on Zonguldak Airport revenues however the volume of traffic provides a
proxy indication. In 2015, Zonguldak Airport served 210 flights and 28,000 passengers out of
Turkey’s total 1.2 million flights and 181 million passengers. The Turkish ground handling
market share held by airports therefore is very small: 0.018% of flights and 0.015% of
passengers.
Role of airlines in ground handling
12.63 In Turkey, airlines that wish to self-handle must obtain a Group B licence, as regulated by SHY-
22. Both Turkish air carriers (e.g. Pegasus, Onur Air, etc.) and non-Turkish air carriers (e.g. Iran
Airways, Saudi Arabia Airlines, etc.) hold these licences.
12.64 Under SHY-22, foreign air carriers have limited ground handling provision opportunities as
compared to Turkish air carriers, as foreign air carriers do not have the right to obtain a Group
A Licence. They are therefore unable to handle other air carriers. In addition to this, foreign
carriers have no right to operate catering services in Turkish airports as ruled by SHY-22/
Article 10.
12.65 CAA Turkey (DGCA) stated that "According to SHY-22 there are two ways for airlines to provide
ground handling services to other airlines. Whilst it is possible for an airline to hold a Group A
Licence and provide ground handling services to other airlines, there is no airline in Turkey
that directly holds a Group A Licence. The second possibility is that an airline can provide a
ground handling service to another airline which is operating at the same airport when there is
no other ground handler to provide that ground handling service. The only example of this in
practice is Eskişehir Airport, where Turkish Airlines provides ground handling services to other
international airlines flying to/from Eskişehir airport as there is no other ground handler
providing the required services."
12.66 There is no financial or traffic data on the market shares of airlines in ground handling in
Turkey.
International ground handling companies active in Turkey
12.67 As per SHY-22/ Article 7, international or foreign ground handling organisations may not hold
Group A or Group C operation certificates. For ground handlers requesting a Group A or C
operation certificate, the majority of the managers or representatives of the company must be
Turkish citizens and the majority of company votes must be with Turkish partners. These
companies must also be registered in Turkey according to Turkish Commerce Law No 6762.
12.68 There are therefore no international ground handling companies with Group A or Group C
certificates in the Turkish market. However, as shown in Table 14.7, a number of European
companies are shareholders of the three Group A licence holders in Turkey (TGS, HAVAŞ and
Çelebi). Aéroport De Paris holds 38% of TAV’s shares, and TAV has 50% share in TGS and 100%
share in HAVAŞ. Dutch firm Zeus Aviation Services Investments B.V. holds a 39% share in
Çelebi Havacılık Holding.
12.69 Group B Licences concern self-handling operations. A list of the non-Turkish air carriers
holding Group B self-handling licences at Turkish airports is shown in Table 12.11. Lufthansa
June 2016 | 134

and SunExpress Deutschland (both Germany) are the only EU carriers holding a Group B
licence in Turkey.
Table 12.11: Non-Turkish Group B ground handlers In Turkey
Airport Self-handling company Service type
Antalya Aeroflot Overhaul And Management
İstanbul Atatürk Aeroflot Overhaul And Management
Antalya Aviatsionnaya Kompaniya Transaero Aircraft Line Maintenance
1.Passenger Traffic
İstanbul Atatürk İran Airways
2.Freight Control And Communication
İstanbul Atatürk Lufthansa Airways
Antalya Sunexpress Deutschland Gmbh Flight Operation
1.Passenger Traffic
İstanbul Atatürk Suudi Arabia Airlines
İstanbul Atatürk Swiss International Air Lines Ltd. Aircraft Line Maintenance
June 2016 | 135

13 Case study: United Arab Emirates
Introduction
13.1 In this chapter we provide details on airport ownership and management in the United Arab
Emirates (UAE). Specific emphasis will be given to private and foreign ownership and any laws
and regulations governing this. Additionally, the ground handling market and the major
ground handling companies operating in the UAE is also discussed.
Context
13.2 The UAE is a federation of seven distinct emirates consisting of Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Dubai,
Fujairah, Ras Al Khaimah, Sharjah and Umm Al Quwain245. The UAE General Civil Aviation
Authority (GCAA) is the sole authority for both regulation and control of the aviation industry
in the UAE246.
13.3 The UAE Aeronautical Information Publication (AIP) produced by the GCAA lists a total of 19
functioning aerodromes from which flights take place247. Ten of these operate commercial
flights, six of which operate international services.
13.4 The busiest airports in the UAE are Dubai International (DXB), Abu Dhabi International (AUH)
and Sharjah International (SHJ). Statistics for the calendar year 2015 are shown in Table 13.1.
Statistics for Dubai World Central – Al Maktoum International (DWC) are also shown due to
the magnitude of cargo managements at the airport.
Table 13.1: Busiest airports in UAE by total passenger numbers
Airport Passengers Cargo (metric tons)

248
DXB 78,014,838 2,506,092
249
AUH 23,286,632 827,456
245
References to the individual cities that have the same names as the Emirates will include “(city)”, e.g.
Abu Dhabi (city).
246
Abu Dhabi eGovernment Gateway: General Civil Aviation Authority, accessed 16 March 2016.
https://www.abudhabi.ae/portal/public/en/departments/department_detail?docName=ADEGP_DF_14
2132_EN&_adf.ctrl-state=eslpueal1_4&_afrLoop=3468782946719163#!
247
UAE Aeronautical Information Publication (AIP) 04 Feb 2016, access 22 February 2016.
https://www.gcaa.gov.ae/en/ais/pages/aip.aspx Login required.
248
Dubai Airports press release, accessed 22 February 2016.
http://www.dubaiairports.ae/corporate/media-centre/press-releases/detail/dxb-strengthens-hold-on-
top-spot-for-international-traffic-with-78m-passengers-in-2015
June 2016 | 136

Airport Passengers Cargo (metric tons)
250
SHJ 8,505,268 295,402
251
DWC 463,236 888,714
13.5 According to Airports Council International, Dubai International airport is the third busiest in
the world by passenger numbers and serves more international passengers than any other
airport in the world252. It was also the fourth busiest airport by international freight traffic in
the year ending April 2015253.
UAE: Airport ownership
13.6 Airport ownership in the UAE is generally governed by the Commercial Companies Law
(Federal Law No. (2) of 2015) at the federal level and by laws at the emirate level such as Abu
Dhabi’s Emiri Decree No. (5) for 2006254 which established the Abu Dhabi Airports Company.
13.7 Airports in the UAE are all publically owned entities but are owned by the individual emirate
governments rather than the federal government. For example, Dubai Airports, the entity that
owns and operates Dubai International and Dubai World Central, is wholly owned by the
Government of Dubai255. A list of airports serving commercial flights in the UAE and their
owners is shown in Table 13.2.
Table 13.2: Ownership of airports serving commercial flights in the UAE
Airport Owner/Operator (effective owner)

AUH (Abu Dhabi International) Abu Dhabi Airports (Government of Abu Dhabi)
AZI (Al Bateen Executive) Abu Dhabi Airports (Government of Abu Dhabi)
AAN (Al Ain International) Abu Dhabi Airports (Government of Abu Dhabi)
249
Abu Dhabi Airports press release, accessed 22 February 2016. http://www.adac.ae/english/media-
centre/press-releases/2016/2016-01-31-RECORD-YEAR-FOR-ABU-DHABI-INTERNATIONAL-AIRPORT
250
Sharjah International Airport Statistics for 2015, accessed 22 February 2016.
http://www.sharjahairport.ae/en/business/media-center/airport-statistics/?statistics-for-year-2015
251
Dubai Airports press release, accessed 22 February 2016.
http://www.dubaiairports.ae/corporate/media-centre/press-releases/detail/dwc-freight-traffic-rises-
7.7-per-cent-in-2015
252
Airport World: List of the World’s Busiest Airports in 2015, accessed 23 February 2016.
http://www.airport-world.com/news/general-news/5421-list-of-the-world-s-busiest-airports-in-2015-
beginnng-to-shape.html
253
ACI International Freight Traffic, accessed 23 February 2016. http://www.aci.aero/Data-
Centre/Monthly-Traffic-Data/International-Freight-Traffic/12-months
254
Emiri Decree No. (5) for 2006 on the Establishment of Abu Dhabi Airports Company “A public joint-
stock company”, accessed 22 February 2016.
https://dot.abudhabi.ae/ckfinder/userfiles/files/Emiri%20Decree%205%20of%202006%20on%20Establi
sh_%20of%20Abu%20Dhabi%20Airports%20Company%20ADAC.pdf
255
Oxford Economics: Explaining Dubai’s Aviation Model, accessed 22 February 2016.
http://www.dubaiairports.ae/docs/default-source/Publications/oxford-economics_explaining-dubai's-
aviation-model_june-2011.pdf?sfvrsn=4
June 2016 | 137

Airport Owner/Operator (effective owner)
ZDY (Delma Airport) Abu Dhabi Airports (Government of Abu Dhabi)
DXB (Dubai International) Dubai Airports Company (Government of Dubai)
DWC (Dubai World Central – Al Maktoum International) Dubai Airports Company (Government of Dubai)
FJR (Fujairah International) Department of Civil Aviation, Fujairah
RKT (Ras Al Khaimah International) Department of Civil Aviation, Ras Al Khaimah
SHJ (Sharjah International) Sharjah Airport Authority (Government of Sharjah)
Sir Bani Yas Abu Dhabi Airports (Government of Abu Dhabi)
13.8 Federal Law No. (2) of 2015 Article (10) restricts foreign ownership of companies anywhere in
the UAE to a maximum of 49%256 with the exception of “Free Zones”, which are geographical
areas within the UAE specifically designated for foreign entities to own and operate
businesses. Complete foreign ownership of companies is generally permitted in free zones as
long as business is only conducted within the Free Zone or abroad and not anywhere else in
the UAE257. Additionally, the UAE embassy in London indicates that there are some activities
that can only be pursued by UAE nationals or companies wholly owned by UAE nationals
without stating exactly what these activities are258. Attempts to gain clarification on the kinds
of activities included in this restriction were unsuccessful.
13.9 There is some differentiation made between Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) nationals and
other nationalities at the emirate level, for example, under Sharjah’s Law No. (5) of 2010 GCC
nationals are permitted to own property in the emirate259 and under Abu Dhabi’s Law No. (19)
of 2005, GCC nationals are permitted to own land within designated investment areas as well
as the buildings on the surface of the land which all foreign nationals are permitted to own260.
13.10 In addition to the federal restrictions on foreign ownership, there are laws in place in the
individual emirates. The ownership structures currently in place and the laws governing them
are discussed individually in the sections below.
256
Federal Law No. (2) of 2015 on Commercial Companies, accessed 11 March 2016 (in Arabic only).
http://www.dubaided.gov.ae/Arabic/DataCenter/BusinessRegulations/Pages/FederalLaw2of2015.aspx
257
Embassy of the UAE in London: Free Zones & Special Economic Zones, accessed 11 March 2016.
http://uae-embassy.ae/Embassies/uk/Content/579
258
Embassy of the UAE in London: Establishing a Business, accessed 23 February 2016. http://uae-
embassy.ae/Embassies/uk/Content/578
259
Al Tamimi & Co: Real Estate within the UAE, access 16 March 2016.
http://www.tamimi.com/en/magazine/law-update/section-6/june-4/real-estate-within-the-uae-a-
summary-of-legislative-development.html
260
Nabarro: New real estate laws issued for Abu Dhabi Global Market, access 16 March 2016.
http://www.nabarro.com/insight/briefings/2015/september/new-real-estate-laws-issued-for-abu-
dhabi-global-market/
June 2016 | 138

Abu Dhabi
13.11 Abu Dhabi is by far the largest Emirate in the UAE, with an area of 26,000 square miles
representing close to 90% of the total land area of the UAE261, and includes two of the UAE’s
major population centres, Abu Dhabi (city) and Al Ain. The Emirate also includes the islands of
Sir Bani Yas, the largest island in the UAE and a popular tourist destination, and Delma.
13.12 Airports in Abu Dhabi are currently owned and managed by Abu Dhabi Airports Company
(ADAC), which is an autonomous corporate body fully owned by the Government of Abu
Dhabi. Airport ownership in Abu Dhabi is restricted to the ADAC, which was established and
given exclusive rights to operate airports under the Emiri Decree No. (5) for 2006:
“By virtue of this decree, a public joint-stock company, to be named Abu Dhabi Airports
Company, shall be incorporated as an autonomous body corporate which shall enjoy full legal
competence to pursue its activities and objectives, and financial and administrative
independence to discharge its business.”262
“The Company shall have the exclusive right to carry out the tasks set forth in its basic bylaws,
in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, particularly the following:
1. Operate and maintain airport facilities; communications; emergency and rescue equipment;
runways, ramps, hangars and stands; transmission, reception and pilotage equipment;
meteorology; and traffic control.”263
13.13 It is clear from the above decree that no element of private or foreign ownership or
management of airports is possible in Abu Dhabi under the current laws.
Dubai
13.14 Dubai is the most populous emirate in the UAE and has an estimated population of 2.5m264.
There are two airports serving commercial flights in Dubai, Dubai International and Dubai
World Central, both of which are managed by the Dubai Airports Company. The Dubai Airports
Company is an independent entity wholly owned by the Government of Dubai265.
13.15 Similar to the Emiri Decree governing operation of airports in Abu Dhabi, Dubai Law No. (8) of
2006 also appears to restrict airport ownership and management to the Dubai Airports
Company. The exact wording of the law itself is not easily accessible, however, news reports
from the time indicate that it is the exclusive right of the company to operate airports in
Dubai266.
261
Abu Dhabi Emirate: Facts and Figures, accessed 11 March 2016.
https://www.abudhabi.ae/portal/public/en/abu_dhabi_emirate/facts_figure_background?_adf.ctrl-
state=114vddv4cs_4&_afrLoop=3028686393166921#!
262
Emiri Decree No. (5) for 2006: Article (1)
263
Emiri Decree No. (5) for 2006: Article (4)
264
Dubai Statistics Centre, accessed on 10 March 2016.
https://www.dsc.gov.ae/en-us/Pages/default.aspx
265
Arabian Business: Dubai Cargo Village announces major restructure, accessed 11 March 2016.
http://www.arabianbusiness.com/dubai-cargo-village-announces-major-restructure-193599.html
266
Al Bayaan Politics: Muhammad bin Rashid Issues Law Establishing Dubai Aviation City, accessed 11
March 2016 (Arabic only). http://www.albayan.ae/economy/1193842522013-2007-11-05-1.804931
June 2016 | 139

13.16 There are some indications that elements of private ownership may be permitted in the future
under the recently introduced Law No. (22) of 2015 with speculation that the expansion of
Dubai World Central – Al Maktoum International may benefit from private finance267.
However, Public-Private Partnerships are more likely to involve operation rather than
ownership of an asset by a private entity. Additionally, there is no indication that federal
restrictions related to foreign ownership will be relaxed at this stage.
Sharjah
13.17 Sharjah is the third most populous emirate of the UAE and had an estimated population of
1.2m in 2013268. Sharjah International Airport is the only airport operating commercial flights
in the emirate of Sharjah and is owned by the Sharjah International Airport Authority, an
independent entity wholly owned by the Government of Sharjah.
13.18 The Sharjah International Airport Authority was established by Emiri decree No. (6) for
2002269. It is not clear whether the Airport Authority has exclusive rights to operate airports in
Sharjah as the powers of the authority were to be specified in another law which was not able
to be located. The exact wording of the article (2) of the decree is as follows:
“A law regulating the objectives, powers and competences of such Authority shall be issued.”270
Other Emirates
13.19 Of the four remaining emirates, airports with commercial managements are only found in two,
Ras al Khaimah and Fujairah. Ras Al Khaimah Airport served 328,000 passengers in 2011271,
according to the most recent statistics available from its website, and while there are plans to
expand Fujairah International Airport, official statistics for traffic are not available.
13.20 In both cases, the airports are owned by the emirates’ Department of Civil Aviation, however
in the case of Fujairah, a Memorandum of Co-management was signed by Fujairah
International Airport and Abu Dhabi Airports Company. Interestingly, Abu Dhabi Airports has
reportedly requested bids on work to expand Fujairah International Airport suggesting
ownership of the airport may be slightly more complex than it first appears and involve Abu
Dhabi Airports Company in some capacity272.
13.21 Both airports are publicly owned and due to the unavailability of the laws governing airport
ownership and management in these emirates, it is not known whether private ownership of
267
HSBC Global Connections: Dubai PPP law should boost infrastructure projects, access 11 March 2016.
https://globalconnections.hsbc.com/uae/en/articles/dubai-ppp-law-should-boost-infrastructure-
projects
268
Sharjah Department of Statics and Community Development: Statistical Yearbook 2014, accessed 11
March 2016. http://www.dscd.ae/Attachments/2014%20year%20book.pdf
269
Gulf News: Sharjah Issues Decrees, accessed 23 February 2016.
http://gulfnews.com/news/uae/general/sharjah-issues-decrees-1.379583
270
Emiri Decree No. (6) of 2002
271
Ras Al Khaimah International Airport: About Us, accessed 23 February 2016.
http://www.rakairport.com/aboutus.html
272
Trade Arabia: Fujairah Airport reveals major expansion plans, accessed 11 March 2016.
http://www.tradearabia.com/news/CONS_287996.html
June 2016 | 140

airports is possible in either Ras Al Khaimah or Fujairah. Similarly, it is not known if private
ownership is possible in the remaining two emirates, Ajman and Umm al-Quwain.
Summary
13.22 Business ownership and, in particular, airport ownership and management is restricted in the
UAE. Emirate-specific laws exist in both Dubai and Abu Dhabi restricting airport management
to publically owned entities established specifically for this purpose and it is suspected that
the same is true for Sharjah. While evidence of similar laws has not been located in the case of
the remaining emirates, airports operating commercial services are operated by the civil
aviation authorities directly and there is no evidence of private ownership of or investment in
airports anywhere in the UAE at the current time.
13.23 There are some signs that private investment in the industry will be permitted in Dubai in the
future, however, under federal laws foreign ownership will still be restricted to a maximum of
49% outside of Free Zones. There may be additional restrictions on foreign ownership in the
industry if it falls under activities which are not permitted for part foreign-owned businesses,
however this is not clear from the available legislation.
UAE: Airport management
13.24 As noted in the sections above, management of airports is restricted in the UAE. In Abu Dhabi,
Dubai and Sharjah publicly owned companies have been established by Emiri Decree
specifically for the purpose of managing airports and in some cases given the exclusive right to
operate airports in the respective emirate. There are currently neither private nor foreign
operators involved in the management of airports in the UAE.
13.25 There are a number of private companies that operate as fixed-base operators (FBOs) within
the UAE’s airports. The FBOs generally provide aviation services including fuelling, hangar
facilities, catering, ground handling and customs for business jets and charter services. Due to
the restrictions on ownership, the FBOs lease buildings, and in some cases terminals, directly
from the airport operator273 and do not own any of the fixed infrastructure. However, their
role in management of airports is restricted to the operation of the executive terminal at
most.
13.26 As noted in paragraph 13.16, Dubai has recently introduced a new law related to Public-
Private Partnerships (PPP) that may grant access to operation of public assets by private
entities. However, the practical outcome of this law is yet to be seen in the airport industry in
the UAE although similar laws specific to the energy and water sectors have resulted in
significant private and foreign investment including from the EU274.
13.27 There is a possibility that similar laws permitting PPI in sectors other than the water and
energy sectors will also be introduced in the other emirates, particularly considering the need
for private investment in Dubai being mainly driven by persistently low oil prices. However,
273
Interview with Ashley Calaz, Head of Business Development at ADAC. Interviewed on 29 February
2016.
274
Examples of PPP projects in the energy and water sectors include the Shams solar power station
(40% EU ownership), several contracts awarded to Veolia Water to build and operate waste water
treatment plants in Abu Dhabi and the building of a solar-powered desalination plant in Ras Al Khaimah
for which Utico and Shanghai Electric are partners.
June 2016 | 141

this is currently not the case and in practice there is little opportunity for private and foreign
entities to participate in the management of airports in the UAE.
13.28 There is some scope for private and foreign entities to win contracts for the construction of
airport infrastructure in the UAE. For example, TAV, a Turkish company, entered a joint
venture with Arabtec and Consolidated Contractors Construction to win the $2.9bn contract to
build the Midfield Terminal Building at Abu Dhabi International Airport275. Similarly, Max Bogl,
a German company, entered a joint venture with Arabtec to win contracts worth $140m for
the construction for the cargo and passenger terminals and the air traffic control tower at
Dubai World Central276. There is also some indication that UK-based contractors Carillion, Kier,
Balfour Beatty, Laing O’Rourke and Interserve may bid for further work at Dubai World Central
after UK Export Finance issued a $2bn letter of interest in support277.
UAE: Ground handling
13.29 There does not appear to be any specific legislation regulating access to ground handling in
the UAE. However, the market cannot be said to be open to either private or foreign entities
due to the ownership structure of airports and national airlines and what appears to be
normal practice in the UAE.
Abu Dhabi and Dubai
13.30 In the case of Abu Dhabi and Dubai’s airports, the national carriers, Etihad and Emirates,
manage the majority of ground handling in the respective emirates. The national carriers are
owned by the respective governments through sovereign investment funds as opposed to the
airport operators which are owned by the governments directly.
13.31 Ground handling services at Abu Dhabi’s airports are provided by Etihad Airport Services, a
subsidiary of Etihad Airways, and DhabiJet, which is owned by ADAC and manages ground
handling at Al Bateen Executive Airport278. There are a number of privately owned FBOs that
also provide limited ground handling services from Abu Dhabi’s airports including National
Aviation Services and Location Flight Services.
13.32 Ground handling services at Dubai’s airports are provided by Dnata, a fully-owned subsidiary
of the Emirates Group. There are also a number of privately owned FBOs operating from
Dubai’s airports including Execujet, Jetex and Link Aero Trading Agency.
275
Abu Dhabi Airports Company: ADAC Signs AED 10.8 Billion Contract with TAV-CCC-Arabtec Joint
Venture for the Construction of the Midfield Terminal Building, accessed 06 April 2016.
http://www.adac.ae/english/mtp/MTP/latest-news/2012-06-27-ADAC-Signs-AED-10-8-Billion-Contract-
with-TAV-CCC-Arabtec-Joint-Venture-for-the-Construction-of-the-Midfield-Terminal-Building
276
Gulf News: Arabtec/Max tie-up wins Dh242m Dubai World Central deal, accessed 06 April 2016.
http://gulfnews.com/business/aviation/arabtec-max-tie-up-wins-dh242m-dubai-world-central-deal-
1.119173
277
Construction Intelligence Center: Project Detail, accessed 06 April 2016. http://www.construction-
ic.com/HomePage/Projects?returnUrl=%2FProjects%2FOverview%2F104884#
278
Abu Dhabi Airports Company: DhabiJet obtains RA3 certification for cargo operations, accessed 22
February 2016. http://www.adac.ae/english/media-centre/press-releases/2015/2015-07-21-DhabiJet-
obtains-RA3-certification-for-cargo-operations
June 2016 | 142

Sharjah and Fujairah
13.33 In the case of Sharjah Airport, ground handling services are provided by Sharjah Aviation
Services, a subsidiary of the Sharjah Airport Authority279, which is directly owned by the
Government of Sharjah. A number of other companies also provide aviation services at
Sharjah including Dnata and Link Aero Trading Agency.
13.34 Information on Fujairah International Airport’s website suggests ground handling at Fujairah
International Airport is managed directly by the airport280 although Aurora Aviation operates
as an FBO at the airport and leases the executive aviation terminal281.
Ras Al Khaimah
13.35 Ras Al Khaimah is the only airport in the UAE that has outsourced ground handling services.
National Aviation Services were awarded the contract to provide ground handling services at
the airport in 2012 as part of a plan to focus on operating the airport as a business rather than
a service provider. It should be noted that while National Aviation Services is a privately-
owned foreign (Kuwaiti) company282, it is GCC-based and as stated previously, there is a level
of differentiation in federal and emirate-level laws between those foreign companies owned
by GCC nationals and otherwise.
Summary
13.36 There does not appear to be any laws regulating entry into the ground handling market either
at the federal or emirate-level in the UAE.
13.37 The major ground handling service providers at individual airports in the UAE are largely
directly or indirectly owned by the respective emirate governments with the exception of Ras
Al Khaimah which has awarded the contract for provision of ground handling services to
National Aviation Services, a GCC-based privately-owned aviation services company.
13.38 There are a number of FBOs operating from the airports in the UAE which generally provide
aviation services including ground handling for executive jets and charter services.
13.39 It is not clear whether ground handling companies can bid for or be granted contracts to
operate ground handling services at UAE airports with the exception of Ras Al Khaimah. While
there does not appear to be any specific law preventing this, in practice, all other airports in
the UAE either operate ground handling services directly or a separate entity exists for this
purpose that is also publicly owned by the respective emirate’s government. It is not known
whether this is due to a restriction imposed upon the airport operators or the preference of
the airport operators themselves.
279
Sharjah International Airport: Sharjah Aviation Services, accessed 17 March 2016.
http://www.sharjahairport.ae/en/sharjah-aviation-services-completes-isago-audit-and-registration/
280
Fujairah International Airport: Airport Management Team, accessed 17 March 2016. http://fujairah-
airport.com/ManagementTeam.aspx?CatId=11&Id=25
281
Aurora Aviation: Co-operation with Fujairah International Airport, access 17 March 2016.
http://www.aurora-aviation.aero/2012/05/21/aurora-aviation-sa-announces-co-operation-with-
fujairah-international-airport/
282
National Aviation Services: Corporate Brochure, access 18 March 2016.
http://www.nascorporate.com/uploads/NAS%20Brochure.pdf
June 2016 | 143

13.40 Finally, while there is some lack of clarity on how ground handling service providers are
appointed, restrictions in federal laws on companies operating in the UAE still apply. This
means that majority foreign-owned companies not owned by GCC nationals are unable to
operate outside of Free Zones, which in theory prevents any such businesses operating ground
handling services at UAE airports.
Market information
13.41 The market shares of the major companies in the UAE ground handling market for ramp and
Figure 13.1: UAE ground handling market share by company (ramp and passenger)
2.7%
7.5%
10.6%
Dnata
Etihad
Sharjah Aviation Services
16.5% 62.6% ADAS (Abu Dhabi)
n.a.
June 2016 | 144

Figure 13.2: UAE ground handling market share by company (passenger)
2.7%
8.0%
10.6%
Dnata
Etihad
Sharjah Aviation Services
16.0% ADAS (Abu Dhabi)
62.6%
n.a.
13.42 We estimate the total value of the UAE ground handling market to be €486 million for ramp
on page 34.
Major ground handling companies operating in the UAE
13.44 Activities of ground handling companies are not restricted to a single airport. Dnata provides
ground handling services at Dubai’s airports and also provides catering services at Sharjah
International Airport283. Similarly, Etihad Airport Services provides ground handling services at
both Abu Dhabi International Airport and Al Ain Airport. However, in general the ground
handling companies do not operate outside of the emirate by which they are owned.
13.45 Along with Dnata and Etihad Airport Services, Sharjah Aviation Services and National Aviation
Services are also involved in major ground handling operations at airports in the UAE. With the
exception of National Aviation Services, these are all publicly owned by the emirate
governments. There are no EU ground handling companies active within the UAE. The major
ground handling companies, their ownership structure and the UAE airports within which they
operate are shown in Table 13.3.
283
Dnata: Our United Arab Emirates airport locations, accessed 23 February 2016.
http://www.dnata.com/english/airports/middle-east/united-arab-emirates/
June 2016 | 145

Table 13.3: Major ground handling companies operating in the UAE
Company Ownership Structure UAE Airport(s)

Owned by the national carrier, Emirates Airways, Dubai International, Dubai World
Dnata which is indirectly owned by the Government of Central and Sharjah International
Dubai (catering only)
Etihad Airport Owned by the national carrier, Etihad Airways, which Abu Dhabi International, Al Ain
Services is indirectly owned by the Government of Abu Dhabi International.
Owned by the airport operator, Sharjah International
Sharjah Aviation
Airport Authority, which is directly owned by the Sharjah International Airport
Services
Government of Sharjah
National Aviation Ras Al Khaimah, Abu Dhabi
Privately owned company based in Kuwait.
Services International (FBO)
Owned by the airport operator, ADAC, which is
DhabiJet Al Bateen Executive Airport
directly owned by the Government of Abu Dhabi
13.46 Of these, both Dnata and National Aviation Services also operate internationally. Dnata
currently provides ground handling services at 58 airports across 13 countries in the world
(including the UK, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Italy in Europe) including at some of the
world’s most popular airports284. They additionally provide only catering services at a further
48 airports in 12 countries. National Air Services has a presence in seven countries, in Africa,
South Asia and the Middle East.
13.47 With the exception of Dnata, financial accounts for ground handling operations for these
companies are not publicly available. Dnata had an annual operating profit of AED 1bn
($270m285) in 2014/15286.
The role of airport operators and airlines in ground handling
13.48 The ground handling market in the UAE is dominated by subsidiaries of airlines and airport
operators. The ground handling operations at Dubai International and Abu Dhabi
International, which are the two largest airports in the country by passenger demand, as well
as several of the smaller airports, are provided by subsidiaries of the national carrier airlines
for both themselves and other airlines. Ground handling operations at Sharjah International,
the third largest airport in the UAE by passenger demand, are provided to all airlines by
Sharjah Aviation Services, a subsidiary of the airport operator, Sharjah International Airport
Authority.
13.49 In the case of Ras Al Khaimah International Airport, where a privately-owned GCC-based
company has been appointed to provide ground handling services, there is little clarity over
the tendering process used to award the ground handling contract to National Aviation
Services and similar concerns regarding a lack of competition may be raised.
13.50 There are a number of privately-owned FBOs providing ground handling services at UAE
airports, however, in practice they only appear to provide services for either business jets or
charter services and do not compete with the main providers.
284
Dnata: Airport Locations, accessed 17 March 2016. http://www.dnata.com/english/airports/
285
UAE Dirham is normally set against the US dollar at 1 AED = 0.27 USD.
286
Dnata Annual Report 2014-15, accessed 18 March 2016. http://www.dnata.com/english/about-
dnata/financial-performance/Annual_Report_2014-15.pdf
June 2016 | 146

Summary
13.51 The ground handling market in the UAE is dominated by a combination of subsidiaries of
national airlines and airport operators and in each of the individual emirates, it can be said
that a monopoly exists.
13.52 Airport operators are all publicly owned by the relevant emirate government and in the cases
where the national carrier provides ground handling services, it should be noted that the
national carriers are also indirectly owned by the relevant emirate government. The
combination of these two factors means there is incentive not to permit competition in the
market.
13.53 In practice, it appears that other companies and, more specifically, EU companies are unable
to enter the UAE ground handling market in a material way.
June 2016 | 147

14 Case study: USA
Introduction
14.1 In this chapter we present the market analysis for airport ownership and management and
ground handling in the USA.
Context
14.2 As of September 2014 there were 3,331 airports within the U.S. National Plan of Integrated
Airport Systems, 389 of which were commercial service airports receiving more than 10,000
passengers on scheduled carrier services per year.287 Most of the remainder are general
aviation airports. Table 14.1 lists the twenty U.S. airports with the highest number of
passengers in 2014.
Table 14.1: Top 20 USA Commercial Service Airports by total passenger numbers (est.*), 2014
Rank City Airport Name CY14 Passengers (total, est.)

1 Atlanta Hartsfield - Jackson Atlanta International 93,208,546
2 Los Angeles Los Angeles International 68,628,394
3 Chicago Chicago O'Hare International 67,686,852
4 Fort Worth Dallas/Fort Worth International 61,609,134
5 New York John F Kennedy International 52,489,856
6 Denver Denver International 52,001,182
7 San Francisco San Francisco International 45,541,566
8 Charlotte Charlotte/Douglas International 43,075,450
9 Las Vegas McCarran International 41,240,496
10 Phoenix Phoenix Sky Harbor International 40,689,734
11 Houston George Bush Intercontinental/Houston 39,544,174
12 Miami Miami International 38,942,932
13 Seattle Seattle-Tacoma International 35,776,160
14 Newark Newark Liberty International 35,546,810
15 Orlando Orlando International 34,557,216
16 Minneapolis Minneapolis-St Paul International/Wold- Chamberlain 33,945,356
17 Detroit Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County 31,551,882
287 nd
Report to Congress: National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems (NPIAS) 2015-2019, accessed 2
February 2016. http://www.faa.gov/airports/planning_capacity/npias/media/npias-2015-2019-
overview.pdf
June 2016 | 148

Rank City Airport Name CY14 Passengers (total, est.)
18 Boston General Edward Lawrence Logan International 31,015,122
19 Philadelphia Philadelphia International 29,584,678
20 New York LaGuardia 27,070,744
* The FAA publishes departing passengers only; total passenger numbers have been estimated from departing
passenger numbers.
288
Source: Federal Aviation Administration
USA: Airport ownership

Overview
14.3 In this section we discuss the ownership structures prevalent in US airports, with a particular
focus on private sector involvement. We also explain the legislative framework within the US
that affects private ownership of airports, in particular potential foreign investors.
14.4 US airports are typically owned and operated by public authorities, although specific
terminals, services, or concessions may be leased or outsourced to airlines or other
contractors. The FAA also administers the Airport Privatisation Pilot Program (APPP) with the
goal of promoting private operation within airports, however success under this program has
been limited to date.
14.5 Airports in the USA are generally owned by state or local authorities, however the federal
government indirectly influences ownership structures through its control of funding sources
and regulations on airport owners’ ability to assess fees. The following sections expand on the
ownership situation and relevant legislation within the USA.
Private ownership of airports in the USA
14.6 Nearly all commercial service airports within the United States (US) are owned by public
authorities, such as local and state government, regional airport authorities, or port
authorities.289 Below are some examples of each possible form of ownership290:
 Owned by the state government, e.g. Baltimore-Washington International Airport (BWI)
 Owned by the local government, e.g. Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD)
 Owned by an airport authority created by decree of the federal government, e.g.
Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) and Ronald Reagan Washington National
Airport (DCA)291
288 nd
Calendar Year 2014 Passenger Boardings at Commercial Service Airports, accessed 2 February 2016.
http://www.faa.gov/airports/planning_capacity/passenger_allcargo_stats/passenger/media/cy14-
commercial-service-enplanements.pdf
289 nd
Airport Privatization: Issues and Options for Congress, accessed 2 February 2016.
https://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R43545.pdf
290
Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP) Legal Research Digest 7: Airport Governance and
Ownership. (2009). (available online at http://onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/acrp/acrp_lrd_007.pdf)
291 nd
MWAA History and Facts, accessed 2 February 2016. http://www.mwaa.com/about/mwaa-history-
and-facts
June 2016 | 149

 Owned by an airport authority that was created by state or local government, e.g.
Orlando International Airport (MCO)292
 Co-owned by the U.S. military and used for both military and civilian purposes e.g.
Charleston International Airport (CHS) 293
 In some cases, the owner is also responsible for non-airport modes of transportation, e.g.
Port of Oakland governs both an airport and a seaport.294
14.7 According to stakeholders, Branson Airport in Missouri is the only wholly privately operated
airport in the United States, however this airport has a limited amount of service and had only
14,000 departing passengers between January – October of 2015.295 We have not found
situations where a private investor owns a small stake within a major commercial service
airport.
14.8 In legal terms, the decision to privatise, whether in part or in full, is made by the airport
owner, which is typically a public entity at the state, regional, or local level.296 However, in
practice it is challenging for a private entity to buy or lease long-term entire airports due to
financial constraints. Compared to public sector ownership, privately-owned airports are
subject to tax disadvantages, have more restrictions on their ability to assess usage fees on
passengers, and usually face higher borrowing costs and property tax liabilities than public
sector entities297. In addition, the Airport Improvement Program (AIP) – a major source of
capital funding for most airports – mandates that all airport-related revenues, such as
proceeds from sales or leases, must be re-invested into the airport. This limits revenue
potential from privatisation and reduces the appeal for public authorities to privatise their
airports. Indeed, no commercial service airports have been sold to private entities in the
United States to date, and only one major airport is currently under a long-term lease to a
private operator.
14.9 The FAA’s Airport Privatization Pilot Program is discussed in the following section.
Airport Privatisation Pilot Program (APPP)
14.10 In 1996 the U.S. Congress established the APPP to encourage private investment in airports
through partially addressing some of the issues discussed in the previous section. However,
the APPP does not completely eliminate the barriers to privatisation discussed above and thus
appeal to private investors is still limited:
292 nd
Orlando International Airport – About Us, accessed 2 February 2016.
http://www.orlandoairports.net/about.htm
293 nd
Charleston International Airport – About Us, accessed 2 February 2016. https://www.chs-
airport.com/AviationAuthority/About-Us.aspx
294 nd
About the Port – History, accessed 2 February 2016.
http://www.portofoakland.com/about/history.aspx
295 th
Flight options plummet at Missouri's new Branson Airport, accessed 28 March 2016.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/flights/todayinthesky/2015/12/14/flight-options-plummet-
missouris-new-branson-airport/77260690/
296
ACRP Report 66 – Considering and Evaluating Airport Privatization (2012). Available online at
http://onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/acrp/acrp_rpt_066.pdf
297
Ibid.
June 2016 | 150

 Airports privatised under APPP still have less access to federal grants and higher
borrowing costs than publicly-owned airports;
 65% of air carriers operating at an airport need to approve the sale or lease of the airport.
This introduces additional stakeholders that a potential investor would be accountable to;
 Airports privatised under APPP are not allowed to increase the fee rates charged to
airlines by more than the inflation rate unless approved by more than 65% of the airlines;
and
 The approval process is lengthy and can take several years between the initial formal
application and final approval.298
14.11 To date, only two airports have been transferred to a private operator under the APPP for a
fixed period of ownership – namely Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (SJU) in Puerto
Rico, and the smaller Stewart International Airport north of New York City. Stewart Airport has
since reverted to public ownership by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, making
SJU the only airport currently operating under APPP. The terms of the SJU concession allows
for private operation for forty years, under which the government will receive first a one-time
fixed payment of US$615 million, followed by annual revenue-sharing payments, the amount
of which depends on the magnitude of revenues generated at the airport but is estimated to
be worth around US$550 million.299 Several other airports, including Louis Armstrong New
Orleans International Airport and Chicago Midway International Airport300, had begun but later
withdrawn from the APPP application process due to limited investor interest or opposition
from local groups.301
Foreign Ownership
14.12 We have not found any regulations explicitly permitting or prohibiting foreign ownership of
airports. However, given the presence of foreign operators within the United States, it is
assumed such investment is permissible under current US law.
14.13 Privatised commercial airports have been leased to non-American entities, for instance
Stewart International Airport was leased to the British National Express Group PLC302 before
reverting back to public control as a result of low usage, and Luis Muñoz Marín International
Airport is currently leased to a Mexican-American joint venture303. However, sale or lease of
airports to foreign entities may be subject to investigation by the Committee on Foreign
298 th
299
San Juan airport tender won by Aerostar, an ASUR–Highstar Capital consortium, accessed March 28,
2016. http://centreforaviation.com/analysis/san-juan-airport-tender-won-by-asur-and-highstar-capital-
consortium-79097
300
Emanuel tells feds Midway won't go private, accessed March 28, 2016.
http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20130926/BLOGS02/130929815/emanuel-tells-feds-midway-
wont-go-private
301
Airport Privatization Program, accessed March 13, 2016.
http://www.faa.gov/airports/airport_compliance/privatization/
302
ACRP Report 66 – Considering and Evaluating Airport Privatization (2012).
303
Record of Decision for the Participation of Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport, San Juan, Puerto
rd
Rico in the Airport Privatization Pilot Program, accessed 3 February 2016.
http://www.faa.gov/news/updates/media/San_Juan_Record_of_Decision.pdf
June 2016 | 151

Investment in the United States (CFIUS), which has legal authority to bar investments if they
are found to impair national security. Furthermore, public opinion may influence legislative
action against certain forms of foreign ownership.304 While it has not happened in the context
of airports, a sale of terminal management contracts at six seaports in 2006 to a company
from the United Arab Emirates – while approved by CFIUS – generated significant controversy
among the public, induced Congressional action against the sale305, and ultimately the
seaports were re-sold to an American company. 306
USA: Airport management
14.14 There is a wide range of management models within US airports. For instance, Albany
International Airport (ALB) in upstate New York is completely managed by a private company,
Virginia-based AvPorts Inc.307, whereas Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) is
operated by the public Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority.308 Terminals within the
same airport do not have to all be managed by the same entity. For instance, as noted below,
within JFK airport, Terminal 1 is co-operated by a group of four airlines (including two EU
airlines), Terminal 4 is operated by a subsidiary of the Schiphol Group309, and Terminal 8 is
operated by American Airlines. 310
Airline long-term leases on terminals
14.15 In the USA, it is common for airlines or operators to be awarded longer-term leases for specific
terminals within an airport in exchange for financing the construction or redevelopment of
that terminal. These terminals are often designed and constructed by the airlines themselves
(for example, American Airlines311, and others at JFK312), and at the end of the lease,
ownership of the terminal returns to the government, reflecting a typical Build-Operate-
304
ACRP Report 66 – Considering and Evaluating Airport Privatization (2012).
305 rd
Under Pressure, Dubai Company Drops Port Deal, accessed 3 February 2016.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/10/politics/10ports.html
306 th
How the DP World deal unraveled, accessed 9 February 2016.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/29e99f06-b065-11da-a142-0000779e2340.html#axzz3zgww7DoX
307 rd
Customer Profile: Albany International Airport (ALB), accessed 3 February 2016.
http://avports.com/cfiles/airports_alb.cfm
308 rd
MWAA History and Facts, accessed 3 February 2016. http://www.mwaa.com/about/mwaa-history-
and-facts
309 rd
Extended Terminal 4 at JFK International Airport is now open, accessed 3 February 2016.
https://www.schiphol.nl/B2B/RouteDevelopment/NewsPublications1/RouteDevelopmentNews/Extend
edTerminal4AtJFKInternationalAirportIsNowOpen.htm
310 rd
Westfield and Hudson Group Unveil Retail Revamp at JFK Terminal 8, accessed 3 February 2016.
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/westfield-and-hudson-group-unveil-retail-revamp-at-jfk-
terminal-8-300041281.html
311
Commercial Projects – American Airlines, accessed March 13, 2016.
http://www.torcon.com/industry/commercial/american-airlines
312
J.F.K. Enters the Era of the Megaterminal, accessed March 13, 2016.
http://www.nytimes.com/2000/03/19/realestate/jfk-enters-the-era-of-the-
megaterminal.html?pagewanted=all
June 2016 | 152

Transfer (BOT) arrangement.313 Frequently the airport owner, or other public entity, issues tax-
exempt bonds on behalf of the airline to finance such projects, thus lowering the financing
costs to the airline but still limiting the owner’s liability314. Examples of airline operators with
long term leases at US airports include:
 Logan International Airport (BOS) (Delta/Terminal A, US Airways/Terminal B);
 Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) (United/Terminal 1);
 Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) (Continental/Terminal 3 and
Concourse B);
 Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (CLE) (Continental/Concourses C and D);
 Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) (American/Terminal 5, Delta/Terminal 6);
 Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) (Continental/Terminal C);
 John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) (United/Terminal 7315 , American/Terminal 8);
and
 San Francisco International Airport (SFO) (United/Terminal 3).316
14.16 Airlines are not permitted to swap leases or portions of leases with one another without
regulatory approval. For example, United Airlines ceased operations at New York’s John F.
Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in 2015, preferring to consolidate its operations at the
nearby Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR). United and Delta then mutually agreed to
exchange take-off and landing rights with each other between JFK and EWR, however this deal
was challenged by the federal government under anticompetitive rules.317
14.17 Terminal lease lengths have historically been for several decades, however there have been
recent trends towards much shorter leases as both airlines and airports prefer greater
flexibility to adjust their operations.318 For instance, in 2013 United signed a 20-year lease at
EWR, and since 2006 Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) 319has been granting five-year
leases. 320
313
ACRP Legal Research Digest 7: Airport Governance and Ownership (2009).
314 rd
Delta Cedes Spae at Logan’s Terminal A, accessed 3 February 2016.
http://www.aviationpros.com/news/10437433/delta-cedes-space-at-logans-terminal-a
315
United has since ceased operations at JFK.
316
ACRP Report 66 – Considering and Evaluating Airport Privatization (2012). Note that in the case of
Cincinnati, Cleveland, and Newark, the lease was to then-Continental Airlines which has since merged
with United Airlines
317
Justice Department Opposes United-Delta Swap for Newark Landing Slots, accessed March 28, 2016.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/11/business/united-delta-deal-at-newark-opposed-by-justice-
department.html?_r=0
318
ACRP Report 36 – Airport/Airline Agreements—Practices and Characteristics (2010).
http://onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/acrp/acrp_rpt_036.pdf
319
United Airlines Extends Newark Agreement, accessed March 13, 2016.
http://ir.united.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=83680&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1804219
320
New gate-lease deals mark the end of an airport era, accessed March 13, 2016.
http://articles.philly.com/2006-07-01/business/25405193_1_charles-j-isdell-newer-airlines-charges-
airlines
June 2016 | 153

European investment in US airport terminal leases
14.18 EU-based companies have been involved in terminal construction and lease projects since the
1990s, when Terminal 1 at JFK was constructed and managed by a consortium of Air France,
Lufthansa, Japan Airlines and Korean Air.321 The bonds used to finance Terminal 1 were issued
in 1994 by the New York City Industrial Development Agency, a public authority, on behalf of
the aforementioned airlines.322 Today the terminal is still operated by the same consortium
and used by more than a dozen other airlines, including several EU airlines.323 JFK Terminal 4 is
managed by a subsidiary of the Schiphol Group, which was awarded a contract to expand and
operate the terminal until 2043; the terminal is mainly used by Delta but also serves several
other EU and non-EU airlines324. The bond issue financing the construction of Terminal 4 was
completed through the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey325.
14.19 European entities have been involved in the management of US airports. BAA was awarded
contracts to manage the airports of Harrisburg and Indianapolis by the local authorities, but
both leases were terminated early and BAA (renamed Heathrow Airport Limited) is now no
longer managing any American airports.326 In Harrisburg, BAA was awarded a 10-year contract
in 1997 to manage full operations at MDT and CXY.327 However, this was terminated by the
regional airport authority in 2001 following contractual disputes between the two parties.328
329
In Indianapolis, the contract was terminated a year early in 2007 by mutual agreement as
BAA’s parent company decided to divest from the airport management business line.330 While
no major US airports are currently entirely privately managed, the BAA experience
demonstrates that management of airports by foreign entities is possible.
321
New JFK Terminal is a Private Project – Four Non-U.S. Carriers Will Repay The Bonds Financing The
rd
$434 Million Facility, To Open Next Month, accessed 3 February 2016. http://articles.philly.com/1998-
04-20/business/25765968_1_jfk-terminal-one-group-association-airports
322 rd
A ‘New’ Kennedy Airport Takes Wing, accessed 3 February 2016.
http://www.nytimes.com/1997/10/26/realestate/a-new-kennedy-airport-takes-
wing.html?pagewanted=all
323 th
Terminal One Group – JFK International Airport, accessed 8 February 2016.
http://www.jfkterminalone.com/home.html
324 th
Public Private Partnership (PPP) – Case Study, accessed 8 February 2016.
http://www.icao.int/sustainability/PPP%20Case%20Studies/PPP_Airport_United%20States.pdf
325 rd
Private Financing of Public Infrastructure: Risk and Options for New York State, accessed 3 February
2016. http://www.osc.state.ny.us/reports/infrastructure/p3_report_2013.pdf
326 rd
BAA through the decades, accessed 3 February 2016.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/2940422/BAA-through-the-decades.html
327 rd
British Airports Management Firm to Manage Harrisburg, Pa. Airport, accessed 3 February 2016.
http://aviationweek.com/awin/british-airports-management-firm-manage-harrisburg-pa-airport
328 rd
Mayor’s airport pick sues over firing in PA, accessed 3 February 2016.
http://www.timesledger.com/stories/2001/28/20010712-archive220.html
329 rd
City still up for Landing British Firm, accessed 3 February 2016.
http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/boroughs/city-landing-british-firm-article-1.935535
330 rd
BAA contract with airport ends early, accessed 3 February 2016.
http://www.wthr.com/story/6470273/baa-contract-with-airport-ends-early
June 2016 | 154

14.20 There are a number of current opportunities in the US which European investors are pursuing.
In Denver there is the opportunity to invest in the redevelopment of the terminal ‘Great Hall’,
Ferrovial and Manchester Airports Group are part of Consortium intending to bid. A similar
competition was held for the redevelopment, operation and maintenance of LaGuardia’s
Central terminal building in 2013-14. One of the consortia included Hochtief Airport GmbH
(now AviAlliance) based in Germany. Other recent private sector investment opportunities
include an Automated People Mover system and a consolidated car rental facility at Los
Angeles that is currently in the pre-bid stage at the time of writing.
14.21 Many airports also outsource parts of their operations. This may include cleaning services, bus
operations, or in-terminal commercial concessions331. EU companies are involved in these
contracts; for instance, Fraport (Germany) currently owns 100% of AirMall, which is the
concessionaire for in-terminal retail space at Baltimore (BWI), Cleveland (CLE), Pittsburgh (PIT),
and Terminals B and E of Boston (BOS)332.
USA: Ground handling
14.22 The Economic Non-discrimination (22) and Exclusive Rights (23) clauses of the FAA’s Airport
Improvement Program (AIP) Grant Assurances document333 regulates the ground handling
market in the USA. The Grant Assurances are a set of conditions which airports must adhere to
receive funding through the AIP (virtually all major US airports receive funding through the
AIP, in 2015 it gave over $3.1 billion to 320 different airports334).
14.23 The ground handling market is liberalised in the USA and no licence is required, all that is
required is authorisation from the airport. Airports are prohibited from granting exclusive
rights to any ground handling service providers. The FAA335 stipulates that airport owners
‘...will make the airport available as an airport for public use on reasonable terms and without
unjust discrimination to all types, kinds and classes of aeronautical activities, including
commercial aeronautical activities offering services to the public at the airport.’ One ground
handler commented that the USA is the “example and model for a fully liberalised market”.
14.24 Air carriers are free to choose whether to operate their own ground handling services or
choose between private operators, a provision which is included in the US-EU comprehensive
air service agreement. The airport can also elect to provide services itself. In each of these
cases the airport or air carriers are subject to the same charges and fees as private operators.
331 nd
332 rd
About Us, accessed 3 February 2016. http://www.airmallusa.com/AboutUs.aspx
333
http://www.faa.gov/airports/aip/grant_assurances/media/airport-sponsor-assurances-aip.pdf
334 th
FAA Airport Improvement Program (AIP) Grant Histories, accessed 30 January 2016,
http://www.faa.gov/airports/aip/grant_histories/#history
335 th
FAA Airport Improvement Program (AIP) Grant Assurances, accessed 30 January 2016,
http://www.faa.gov/airports/aip/grant_assurances/media/airport-sponsor-assurances-aip.pdf
June 2016 | 155

14.25 It is not unusual for smaller airports to have only one ground handling operator on site, due to
low levels of traffic or infrastructure constraints. A sole service provider is deemed not to have
been given exclusive rights under the following conditions 336:
 It would be unreasonably costly, burdensome, or impractical for more than one operator
to provide the services; and
 Allowing more than one operator to provide the services would require reducing the
space leased to the existing operator and it is demonstrated that the entire leased area is
required to provide the current service.
Market Information
14.26 The market shares of the major companies in the US ground handling market for ramp and
Figure 14.1: USA ground handling market share by company (ramp)
Delta Airlines
American Airlines
17.0% Southwest Airlines
25.9%
United Airlines
Envoy
12.8%
Swissport
9.1%
Menzies
US Airways
11.5%
Various
2.2%
10.4% n.a.
2.8%
3.9%
4.3%
336
AIP Grant Assurances
June 2016 | 156

Figure 14.2: USA ground handling market share by company (passenger)
Delta Airlines
American Airlines
16.8% Southwest Airlines
25.9%
United Airlines
13.5% Envoy
Swissport
11.0%
JetBlue Airways
10.7% US Airways
Various
2.2% n.a.
11.7%
2.2%
2.2% 4.0%
14.27 We estimate the total value of the US ground handling market to be €7.9 billion for ramp and
passenger services combined.
on page 34.
Airlines self-handling activities
14.29 The US ground handling market is dominated by the major airlines’ own ground handling
operations, which are either operated by the airline directly or through subsidiary companies,
which typically operate at smaller regional airports. These ground handling operations
primarily exist to supply services to their parent companies, but also offer their services to
other airlines and are therefore considered by international ground handlers as competition
for the market. The continued operation, either directly or indirectly, of their own ground
handling operations by most of the major US airlines is primarily due to the labour contracts
and union agreements in place that prevent airlines from outsourcing these services.
14.30 Table 14.2 shows the four largest US airlines by number of passengers, their share of air traffic
movements (ATMs) in the USA in 2014 and the structure of their ground handling operations.
Table 14.2: Major US Airline Ground handling Operations
Share of ATMs 2014 Ground handling
Airline Subsidiary name
(arr and dep in USA) Arrangement
American Airlines 13.1% Subsidiary Envoy Air
Delta Air Lines 19.7% Subsidiary DAL Global Services
Southwest Airlines 13.2% Internal -
United Airlines 19.7% Subsidiary United Ground Express
Source: OAG, Company Websites, Steer Davies Gleave analysis
June 2016 | 157

14.31 As shown in Table 14.2, the proportional share of ATMs held by the 4 largest airlines in the US
is 65%; these airlines’ self-handling arrangements imply that at least 65% of the ground
handling market in the USA is not available to international ground handlers.
14.32 Information on the number of airports at which these major airlines and their subsidiaries
offer ground handling services is not available for all airlines. However, the IATA Ground
Handling Council Directory337 states that American Airlines offers ground handling services at
97 US airports, and on their website338, DAL Global Services state they have stations at
approximately 150 US airports.
Number of ground handling organisations active in a given airport
14.33 As well as the major airlines’ own operations, the majority of medium and large hub airports
have several private ground handling operators providing services, the number of ground
handling service providers at selected US airports are shown in Table 14.3.
Table 14.3: Number of ground handling operators at selected US airports
Number of Ground Handling
Airport Departures (2014)
Operators
Baltimore-Washington 11,022,200 4
Indianapolis 3,605,908 4
New York JFK 26,244,928 8
New York LaGuardia 13,415,797 4
Newark Liberty 17,680,826 5
Ontario 2,037,346 3
San Diego 9,333,152 14
Source: Airport Websites
14.34 It should be noted that on their website339, San Diego airport lists Delta Air Lines and American
Airlines (and their subsidiaries) as ground handling service providers. No other airport lists any
of the major airlines (or their subsidiaries), shown in Table 5.2, as ground handling service
providers; this demonstrates the ambiguity in how the ground handling market can be defined
in the US. International ground handling companies have reported that the airlines’ self –
handling services are not always considered as part of the “contestable” ground handling
market.
14.35 The eight service providers listed as ‘Ground Handling Agents’ on New York JFK airport’s
website340 are , shown in Table 14.4.
Table 14.4: JFK Airport Ground handling Operators

Alliance Ground International USA
337 rd
The IATA Ground Handling Council (IGHC) Directory, accessed 3 March 2016,
http://www.iata.org/publications/ighc-directory/Pages/index.aspx
338 rd
About DGS, accessed 3 March, http://deltaglobalaviation.com/about.html#
339 rd
San Diego Airport Airline Services, accessed 3 March 2016, http://www.san.org/Business-
Opportunities/Aviation-and-Commercial-Business/airline-services
340 th
JFK Airport Ground Handling Agents, accessed 8 February 2016, http://www.panynj.gov/air-
cargo/jfk-service-providers.html
June 2016 | 158

Cargo Airport Services USA
Lufthansa Cargo EU
MSN Air Service USA
Servisair* EU
Swissport EU
Triangle Aviation Services USA
*Owned by Swissport
Source: JFK Airport
Airports providing ground handling services

14.36 Although they are free to do so, in practice it is rare for airports to provide ground handling
services. One international ground handler stated that in terms of size, the market share held
by airports providing ground handling services is not significant. Green Bay and Bangor, Maine
airports are two of the few airports that provide some of their own ground handling services.
International vs local ground handling companies
14.37 Many of the major players in the international ground handling market are European
companies who have a large presence in the USA. We understand from one international
ground handler that this presence is generally via subsidiaries. Table 14.5 shows the number
of North American Stations (note this includes the USA and Canada) and USA revenue of three
EU-based major global operators in the ground handling market.
Table 14.5: Major international Ground Handling Operators active in the USA
North American USA Revenue 2014 (€m)
Operator
Stations 2014
Swissport* 75 524.4
WFS-Aviapartner 60 Not Available
Menzies 53 147.7
*Includes Servisair
Source: CAPA, Menzies, Swissport
14.38 Along with the major airlines’ self-handling operations and major international companies,
there are also many US based companies providing ground handling services at US airports.
Along with ground handling, these companies often offer other services including security,
cleaning and maintenance. A non-exhaustive list of US ground handling companies is shown in
Table 14.6.
Table 14.6: US Ground handling companies (non-exhaustive)
Operator US Stations
Aero Port Services 1
ASIG 52
ATS 31
Aviation Port Services 17
GAT Airline Ground Support 35
Hallmark 9
Jet Stream 21
Matrix Aviation 7
Pacific Aviation Corporation 3
Simplicity 8
June 2016 | 159

Source: IATA, Company Websites
14.39 The size of US ground handling companies’ operations can range from large organisations,
which provide services at airports nationwide, to smaller organisations which only provide
services in a specific region. Pacific Aviation Corporation, for example, has only 3 stations at
airports in California and Aero Port Services operates only at Los Angeles airport.
14.40 European ground handling stakeholders reported that the US market is relatively
straightforward for them to operate in as the market is completely liberalised and no licence is
required. These stakeholders stated that they have not experienced any non-competitive or
discriminatory practises in the USA. However, it was noted that it is difficult to gain a
significant market share due to the dominance of the major US airlines’ own ground handling
operations, which results in a significant proportion of the market being unavailable to them.
These US airline self-providers also compete with the international ground handling
organisations for the remaining market share.
June 2016 | 160

15 Market overview: France
Introduction
15.1 In this chapter we present an overview of private investments into airport ownership and
management in France, and identify any barriers to market entry or other restrictions into this
area or the ground handling sector.
Airport ownership
French legislation regarding airport ownership
15.2 Major reforms were undertaken in France in 2004 and 2005 to modernize the ownership and
management of French airports.
15.3 Law No. 2004-809 of 13 August 2004 on local freedoms and responsibilities devolved
ownership of small airports and airfields previously owned by the French government to local
authorities (municipal, departmental or regional governments) that were willing to assume
this responsibility. The decentralisation of these airports was accompanied by a transfer of
ownership of the assets previously owned by the State, free of charge. These assets included
airport land, the building, works and installations on it and all the moveable property
earmarked for the airport.
15.4 Another policy was implemented at the larger French airports in 2005, by Law No 2005-357 of
20 April 2005. The law differentiated between Aéroports de Paris and the next 11 largest
French regional airports as measured by passenger throughput.
15.5 Aéroports de Paris (ADP) manages and develops France’s most important airports:
Paris/Roissy-Charles de Gaulle Airport (hub of Air France) and Paris-Orly Airport. ADP was
transformed into a limited company fully owned by the State, with the ability for the State to
sell up to 50% of the shares (Article L6323-1 of the Code of Transport). In June 2006, the
Government partially privatised ADP through a €600 million increase of capital:
 29.2% of the shares were sold to private investors;
 2.4% to ADP employees; and
 the French Government kept the remaining 68.4%.
15.6 In June 2008, ADP and the operator of Amsterdam-Schiphol airport concluded a strategic
alliance, resulting in each company acquiring an 8% stake in the other (it is the French
Government who sold the stake to the Schiphol Group, and it subsequently retained the
ownership of 60% of ADP shares after the exchange). In 2009, the French Government sold a
further 8% stake to the Fond Stratégique d’Investissement, the French investment sovereignty
fund. The 2016 ownership structure of ADP is presented in Figure 15.1.
June 2016 | 161

Figure 15.1: Ownership structure of Aéroports de Paris
1%
6%
French state
Schipol Group
21%
Vinci
Predica
51%
Institutional investors
5%
Individual shareholders
8% Employees
8%
Source: ADP corporate website, 2016
15.7 For the 12 largest French regional airports341 (excluding ADP), law 2005-357 resulted in the
creation of airport limited companies that are still owned by the French State, the local
chambers of commerce and industry (CCI), and local governments. These airport companies
can open their shares to new public and private partners and it is expected that the French
Government will continue to sell a certain amount of its shares in these companies, as it has
done in 2015 for Toulouse airport and is planned in 2016 for Nice and Lyon airports.
15.8 However, it should be clarified that the State only sells its shares in the operating company,
and remains the owner of the infrastructure. It also remains the licensing authority of the
airports, meaning that it is still the State who determines the long-term development strategy
of the airports.
Airport management
Aéroports de Paris
15.9 The 2005 law transformed ADP into a société anonyme (SA). The State conceded to ADP the
exclusivity of the management of Parisian airports without time limitation. Airport assets held
by ADP and the State were transferred to the new company.
Major regional airports
15.10 Since the 1930s, major regional airports have been managed by local chambers of commerce
and industry (CCI) in a concessionary regime.
15.11 Article 7 of Law 2005-357 permitted the CCIs to create regional airport companies (operating
under private law) with the capital initially wholly owned by public entities. Immediately after
the transfer, each concession was subject to new terms set by the State, which among others
341
Bordeaux, Aéroports de Lyon, Marseille, Montpellier, Nantes, Nice airports, Strasbourg, Toulouse,
Cayenne, Fort-de-France, Pointe-à-Pitre and Saint-Denis.
June 2016 | 162

resulted in an extension of the concession period (of a maximum of 40 years) and removal of
the liability guarantee by the State.
15.12 The implementation of this complex reform is now almost complete with only Cayenne airport
(located in the French Guyana) remaining to be transferred from CCI (local authorities) control
to a regional airport company. The reform was implemented at the other 11 airports’
concessions: Lyon, Toulouse and Bordeaux in 2007, Nice in 2008, Montpellier in 2009, Nantes,
Strasbourg, Saint Denis and Fort-de-France in 2011, Marseille and Pointe à Pitre in 2014.
15.13 Local authorities were allowed to hold shares in these airport companies, with the initial
capital allocation being 60% for the State, 25% for the CCIs and 15% for the local authorities.
15.14 During the parliamentary debates that led to the introduction of the 2005 law, the French
Government made it clear that one of the objectives of the reform of regional airports was to
eventually open the capital of the airport companies, in order to offer the opportunity to the
private sector to manage regional airports as well as diversify the sources of financing for the
development and operation of these airports.
Capital opening of Toulouse airport342
15.15 The French State began the privatisation process for French regional airport managing
companies with the Toulouse-Blagnac airport. The transaction consisted of a sale of 49.9% of
the State's shares in the airport company to the selected bidder, together with one-way option
for the State to sell its residual participation representing 10.1%.
15.16 After launching the tender process in July 2014, in December 2014 the French State selected a
consortium primarily made up of Chinese investment funds and asset managers (Shandong
High Speed Group and Friedmann Pacific Investment Group) and a Canadian operator (SNC
Lavalin).
15.17 The outcome of the tender process for the Toulouse-Blagnac airport shows that, although the
transfer to a private investor of shares in a company controlling strategic infrastructure
remains politically sensitive, the State is prepared to sell its shares in airport managing
companies to foreign investors, subject to there being a satisfactory bid price and
development plan in place for the airport. The State keeps nevertheless control over the
airport through the terms of the concession agreement.
15.18 The sale of the State's shares in the airport company for Toulouse-Blagnac nonetheless
generated strong negative reaction, mostly at a local level, both with respect to the principle
of the privatization and on the selected consortium which did not include any French entities.
Future changes for regional airport companies
15.19 The 2016 law for growth and economy (referred to as the "Loi Macron"343), authorises the
transfer of more than 50% of the shares of the airport managing companies for Lyon and Nice
to the private sector. In other words, the French State, which owns 60% of the shares in the
airport companies, may sell all of its shares
342
The privatization of large regional airports in France: key issues and opportunities, Clifford Chance,
2015
343
Latest version of the Loi Macron draft,
https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/affichTexte.do?cidTexte=JORFTEXT000030978561&dateTexte=20160
308 , accessed 15 March 2016
June 2016 | 163

Other French airports and airfields
15.20 The 2004 law transferred to local authorities (or their groupings) the ownership, development,
maintenance and management of the 150 civil local airports and airfields (all civil airports
excluding the ADP airports and next 12 largest airports in France). The transfer became
effective in 2007. Only a dozen of these airports have commercial traffic of higher than
100,000 passengers per annum.
15.21 The transfer was based on a voluntary agreement with local authorities. As a result, 19
airports have been attributed to regions (either alone or in groupings), 29 to départements, 61
to groupings of communes and 41 to communes.
15.22 This transfer of ownership and management allows local authorities to establish the
development strategy of the airports, retain the management, subcontract or choose an
operator and organize the financing of the airport.
15.23 The management of a number of these airports has been given by the local authorities to
private companies (including French companies Vinci, Keolis, Veolia and Canadian company
SNC-Lavalin). VINCI for instance has interests in 11 French airports344, including ownership of
99% of the capital of the operating company of Grenoble, Chambery, Clermont-Ferrand and
Quimper airports.
Ground Handling
15.24 The information presented below draws from a recent public report345 (dated September
2015) on the ground handling market in France. This report was produced by the Conseil
Général de l’Environnement et du Développement Durable (CGEDD) which is an administrative
advisor to the French government.
Legislation on ground handling in France
15.25 European legislation ( Ground Handling Directive EU 96/67) has been transcribed into French
Law, with the following exceptions:
 EU legislation provides for the possibility to require approvals. In French legislation, an
approval is required for the provision of groundhandling services at airports with more
than 200,000 passengers or 20,000 tonnes of freight. In addition, approvals are required
airport by airport, which multiplies the necessary approval procedures for a ground
handling company operating at several airports; and
 French legislation also requires that the airport users' committee is consulted on the
appointment of a service provider (airport operator or third-party) to ensure continuity of
ground handling services and related to limits in the number of providers or self-
assistants.
15.26 French legislation for ground handling is based on different legislative texts:
 Decree 98-7 of 5 January 1998 amending the Code of Civil Aviation (Part 2): modification
of articles R 216-1 to R 216-16. This decree requires ground handlers in France to be
based in the EU;
 Decree of 18 March 1998 relating to approval applications for ground handlers;
344
VINCI Airports, http://www.vinci-airports.com/en/vinci-airports-opening-your-world, Accessed April 2016
345
http://www.ladocumentationfrancaise.fr/var/storage/rapports-publics/154000744.pdf
June 2016 | 164

 Circular 98-46 of 15 April 1998 relating to the issuance and withdrawal of approval for
ground handlers;
 Decree No 2009-551 of 19 May 2009 on users' committees of ground handling services
imposed on certain aerodromes; and
 Decree No. 2012-832 of 29 June 2012 relating to civil aviation safety.
15.27 Approvals are granted for a 5 year renewable period for all operators and subcontractors.
Approvals are granted by the interregional offices of DGAC in charge of safety (DSAC/IR) who
perform an administrative review of the applications. The criteria taken into account for
approval are:
 The obligation to provide evidence of adequate insurance cover, including third-party
liability;
 A healthy financial situation;
 The commitment to respect the legislation on French labour law, on collective
agreements, on safety, security and environmental standards and to participate in the
organisation and on the coverage of costs to ensure the continuity of services.
15.28 According to French legislation, a ground handling company must be based in the EU to be
permitted to operate in France. Non-French and non-EU owned/controlled companies can
operate if they have an establishment in France, for example, WFS, which is controlled and
owned by a USA fund, but has headquarters and operates in France.
The ground handling market in France
15.29 The table below presents an overview of the main operators in the French ground handling
market. They have been grouped under three different categories:
 Full service: operators providing services to all main handling categories (ground
administration and supervision, passengers, luggage, freight and mail, runway and taxiway
operations, cleaning and aircraft servicing and flight operations and crew administration)
and belong to international groupings. Ten companies generate in France a consolidated
turnover related to ground handling in the order of €800 million and employ a total of
over 11,000 people. For eight of the companies, France is their largest market;
 Partial service operated by a large number of operators with limited capital and staff
numbers varying from 100 to 1,000. Some information available on Avico, Transdev, City
One and GH Team is provided in the table below;
 Catering services: The catering world leader LSG (a Lufthansa subsidiary) is not present in
France whilst the second Gate Gourmet is only present at Basel-Mulhouse airport. The 3rd
and 4th largest catering companies, respectively Newrest and Servair have their main
market in France and employ approximately 8,420 people.
15.30 We observe that seven of the handlers (5 for full service and 2 for catering) are members of
international groups (Figure 15.1).
June 2016 | 165

Table 15.1: Main ground handlers operating in France (2015 analysis)
2014
2014
Type of Capital (€ revenues
Operator HQ Shareholder result (€ Staff
handling millions) (€
millions)
millions)
Platinum
Equity
WFS France 7.5 127 N/A 1,800
Investment
fund (USA)
Serge Sellan
(FR), (47%)
Ekkio Capital
Groupe 3S
Investment
(including
France fund (FR), 6.6 196 -1.5 2,110
Alyzia,
(49%)
GIMAS)
Group
management
team, (4%)
HIG Capital
Aviapartner Belgium N/A 140 N/A 3,000
(USA)
Full Groupe
service Europe
France CRIT group (FR) 0.08 166 1.9 1,792
Handling
(GEH)
United John Menzies
Menzies 0.001 5 -0.23 90
Kingdom (UK)
HNA Group Co.
Swissport * Switzerland N/A 50 N/A 550
Ltd (China)
Samsic Samsic group
France 0.24 43 0.63 720
assistance 95%
ONET airport Mrs Reinier
France N/A 60 N/A 1,000
services 75%
SAGEB France Transdev 49 % 5.5 11 N/A 184
Réunion Air
Assistance France Air Austral 40% 0.45 10 0.13 220
(RAA)
Avico France N/A N/A 15 0.94 176
City one * France N/A N/A 72 N/A 800
Partial Transdev * France N/A N/A 41 N/A 450
services
French-Swiss
GH Team France shareholder 90 N/A 63 4 763
%
Servair France Air France 97% 52 532 -11 5,500
Catering
(**) UK shareholder
Newrest France N/A 330 N/A 2,920
68%
Note: Handlers who directly operate the main handling services in at least one main French airport have been
classified as full service handlers. (*) for these companies the revenues have been estimated based on staff
numbers. (**) Catering revenues include cost of food supplies.
Source: Etude sur le marché de l'assistance en escale dans les Aéroports, CGEDD, 2015
June 2016 | 166

15.31 The ground handling market in France saw a number of changes in companies’ names and
their market shares over time. The reasons for this are the limited length of contracts between
handlers and airlines (3 years generally, with a possible evolution towards 4 or 5 years) and
the limited profit margins of handling operations resulting in take-over of businesses or
cessation of activities.
15.32 Since 2010, there have been a number of key changes in the French market, most of them
involving consolidation, and often involving investors from outside of France:
 Aviapartner was bought by US investment fund HIG Capital in 2014;
 Subsidiaries of Servisair SAS (itself 100% owned by Derichebourg SA) “Servisair Escales”,
“Servisair Cargo”, “Servisair Assistance Piste Orly” were declared bankrupt in 2013.
Servisair SAS was sold by Derichebourg to Swissport in December 2013;
 Swissport sold its entire French ground handling activity to GH Team in December 2014.
The sale covered its subsidiaries Swissport France, Swissport Services CDG, Servisair
France and Heracles. Swissport remains present in France346 in the cargo handling industry
through its Swissport Cargo Services entity;
 Holding company AMC Group (a Nice airport handling company operating at ten airports)
was taken over in December 2014 by Aviapartner for airport handling and by GH Team for
its Map Handling Freight subsidiary for cargo handling; and
 WFS, a former subsidiary of Vinci, owned since 2007 by LBO France fund, was acquired in
April 2015 by US investment fund Platinum Equity.
15.33 At the national level, the study estimated that the market shares of handlers are as follow (in
2014).
Table 15.2: Overall market share of handling companies in France, 2014
Handler National market share

Self-handling Air France (FR) 41%
Air France for third-parties (FR) 5%
Aviapartner (BE) 15%
GEH (FR) 15%
Alyzia, part of 3S Group (FR) 11%
WFS (FR) 3%
Menzies (UK) 2%
Others 8%
Source: Etude sur le marché de l'assistance en escale dans les Aéroports, CGEDD, 2015
15.34 The study also examined the market share of ground handlers for each of the largest airports
in France. It noted that the market for full handling, in addition to Air France, is relatively
small. At Paris Roissy-CDG there are only two independent providers (GEH and Alyzia who
have a 79% market share excluding self-handling by Air France) and two or three providers at
Orly depending on the terminal (GEH, Alyzia, WFS who have a 95% market share excluding
self-handling by Air France). In the rest of France, there are three providers in Nice, two
providers in Toulouse and Marseille and a single provider (Aviapartner) who is almost the
346
Swissport still operates passenger ground handling services at Basel-Mulhouse airport and in Nice for
general aviation
June 2016 | 167

exclusive provider at the airports of Lyon, Bordeaux, Nantes, and to a lesser extent, in
Marseille. At Basel-Mulhouse airport Swissport is operating as a monopoly as well as SAGEB in
Beauvais.
Conclusion
15.35 Based on the above analysis, we conclude that the only restriction in place with respect to the
nationality of the ground handling company to operate in France, is to be based in the EU.
Further than that, there are no potential restrictions in place at national or at a lower
administrative level on the nationality of the European ground handling company or its place
of establishment in France.
June 2016 | 168

16 Market overview: Germany
Introduction
management in Germany, and identify any barriers to market entry or other restrictions into
this area or the ground handling sector.
Airport ownership
German legislation regarding airport ownership
16.2 In Germany, the main piece of legislation in relation to civil aviation is the Air Traffic Act
(LuftVG)347, which in its second subsection (Articles 6 to 19) provides the regulatory framework
for airports. Article 39(1) of the Air Traffic Licensing Order (LuftVZO)348 establishes the aviation
authorities of the federal states as the responsible authorities for the regulation of airports.
Ownership structure at the main German airports
General information
16.3 Traditionally, ownership of German airports has been shared between federal states (Länder),
counties (Kreis), and/or cities. The Federal Government has also been involved, owning shares
in Cologne/Bonn, Frankfurt, Hamburg and Munich airports, as well as Berlin’s Tegel and
Tempelhof airports. Limited liability companies (GmbH), or as in the case of Frankfurt Airport,
joint stock companies (AG), were founded to manage operations of airports in Germany, with
ownership of these companies reflecting the ownership structure of the respective airports.
16.4 In 1991, one year after the reunification, the three Berlin airports (Tegel, Schoenefeld and
Tempelhof) were integrated into one single holding company, the Flughafen Berlin
Brandenburg GmbH (FBB), owned by the Federal Government (26 per cent) and the States of
Berlin and Brandenburg (37 per cent each).
16.5 In our review of German law, we have not identified restrictions in German law to private
ownership of German airports based on the nationality or the place of establishment. As we
set out in the subsequent section, there are a number of examples of German airports being
partly owned by foreign investors, which includes Frankfurt Airport whose shares are listed on
the stock exchange. However in practice, the majority of shareholders in German airports are
based in Germany. An example of this is Airport Partners GmbH, the German-based joint
347
http://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/bundesrecht/luftvg/gesamt.pdf, accessed 8 April 2016
348
http://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/bundesrecht/luftvzo/gesamt.pdf, accessed 8 April 2016
June 2016 | 169

venture between German AviAlliance (former Hochtief Airport) GmbH and Irish Aer Rianta
International.
Privatisation
16.6 To date, five out of 18 international airports in Germany have been partially privatised, with
the origin of these investments being primarily from Germany, but with some EU and non-EU
companies also involved, as set out in Table 16.1. The first privatisation took place in
December 1997 when the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia sold its 50% stake in
Düsseldorf Airport to Airport Partners GmbH, a consortium of Hochtief AirPort and Aer Rianta
International (Dublin Airport Authority plc). The city of Düsseldorf retained its 50% share, and
hence since then Düsseldorf Airport has been operating in the form of a public-private
ownership (PPP).
16.7 In October 2000, Airport Partners (Hochtief Airport GmbH and Aer Rianta International)
acquired a 36% stake in Hamburg Airport from the Federal Government and the federal state
of Schleswig-Holstein, with the City of Hamburg retaining its 64% stake. In August 2002 the
City of Hamburg sold a further 13% to Airport Partners, reducing its stake to 51%. Similarly to
Düsseldorf Airport, Hamburg Airport has also been operated as a PPP since its first partial sell-
off to private investors.
16.8 In June 2001 Airport Frankfurt, which at the time was owned jointly by the Federal
Government, the federal state of Hesse and the City of Frankfurt, went to the Frankfurt Stock
Exchange with an initial public offering (IPO) after the transformation of its legal form into
Fraport AG. After the IPO, private and institutional investors including employees acquired a
29.4% stake. In October 2005, the federal government sold off 12% of its 18.2% stake and
Lufthansa acquired a 4.95% share. Fraport also owns a 30% stake in Hanover Airport (from
1998), and owned a 65% in Frankfurt-Hahn Airport (from 1999 to 2009).
16.9 The current ownership structure of Fraport is set out in Table 16.1, along with the ownership
structures of the 10 largest airports in Germany.
16.10 In 2009, Fraport sold its 65% stake in Frankfurt-Hahn Airport to the federal state of Rhineland-
Palatinate for a price of €1, including a debt of €120 million. Following this purchase, the
federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate increased its stake in the airport to 82.5%. Rhineland-
Palatinate announced the sale of its stake to Shanghai Yigian Trading Company (SYT) in June
2016.
Table 16.1: Ownership structure of the 10 largest airports in Germany (based on passengers in 2015)
Airport Ownership of airport operator Ownership

Federal state of Hesse 31.34%
City of Frankfurt 20.01%
Frankfurt am Lufthansa AG 8.45%
Mixed, Majority public
Main BlackRock Inc. 2.92%
Legg Mason, Inc 3.00%
private shareholders 34.28%
Federal state of Bavaria 51%
Munich Public, Corporatised Federal Government 26%
City of Munich 23%
June 2016 | 170

Airport Ownership of airport operator Ownership
City of Düsseldorf 50%
Mixed, Even public-private Airport Partners GmbH 50%
Düsseldorf
shareholding (40% Hochtief AirPort GmbH, 20% Hochtief AirPort
Capital KGaA, 40% Dublin Airport Authority plc)
Federal state of Brandenburg 37%
Berlin-Tegel Public, Corporatised Federal Government 26%
Federal state of Berlin 37%
City of Hamburg 51%
Hamburg Mixed, Majority public HOCHTIEF Airport GmbH 34.8%
HOCHTIEF AirPort Capital GmbH & Co. KGaA 14.2%
Federal state of Baden-Württemberg 65%
Stuttgart Public, Corporatised
City of Stuttgart 35%
City of Cologne 31.12%
Federal Government 30.94%
Federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia 30.94%
Cologne/Bonn Public, Corporatised
City of Bonn 6.06%
Rhein-Sieg-Kreis 0.59%
Rheinisch-Bergischer Kreis 0.35%
Federal state of Brandenburg 37%
Berlin-Schönefeld Public, Corporatised Federal Government 26%
Federal state of Berlin 37%
Federal state of Lower Saxony 35%
Hanover-
Mixed, Majority public City of Hannover 35%
Langenhagen
Fraport AG 30%
Federal state of Bavaria 50%
Nuremberg Public, Corporatised
City of Nuremberg 50%
Source: ACI EUROPE 2010
16.11 As can be seen in Table 16.1, all airports have the largest shareholder as a government
authority, and of those with private investment, the majority of the companies involved are
German, with the exception of Frankfurt am Main, where minority shares are held by
BlackRock (publically traded on American stock exchange Nasdaq) and Legg Mason (publically
traded on the New York stock exchange), and Düsseldorf, where a share in Airport Partners
GmbH is held by the Dublin Airport Authority plc (a state owned company in Ireland).
Conclusion on German airports’ ownership structure
16.12 As described above, ownership of airports in Germany is dominated by the public sector, with
no airport in Germany having more than a 50% share owned by the private sector.
Ground handling
German ground handling legislation
16.13 In Germany, the liberalisation of ground handling operations started with the entry into force
of the BADV which transposed Directive 96/67/EC into German law. The Directive opens the
ground handling markets in Member States, but allows this to be limited for air side ground
handling activities such as luggage handling, ramp-handling, refuelling and freight and mail
services, as they that are particularly sensitive and critical for capacity and performance.
June 2016 | 171

16.14 The German government made use of these possibilities, and included respective sections on
this in Article 19c of the Air Traffic Act349, and in Article 3 of the BADV. In addition, appendix 5
of the BADV specifies, for each airport within the scope of the Directive, the number of
permissible ground handling operators, separated by airport operator and third party
operators.
16.15 At two German airports, Berlin-Schoenefeld and Dűsseldorf, licences for third party ground
handling operators have been granted that are above the number of ground handling
operators specified in appendix 5 of BADV. At Berlin-Schoenefeld Airport, a third licence has
been granted for third party operators, despite appendix 5 of BADV permitting only two
licences at the airport.
16.16 In its response to a parliamentary inquiry350, the German government stated that the granting
of these licenses is permissible as the numbers detailed in appendix 5 of BADV must be
understood as the minimum amount of third party operators, and that a limit on the number
of ground handling operators at the airport would constitute an infringement on European
legislation. However the government response to another parliamentary inquiry351 suggest
there is some controversy with respect to whether this statement is correct, in particular in
light of the Austrian government having limited the number of third party operators for
sensitive ground handling operations to a maximum of two.
16.17 In the same response352, the German government clarified that the numbers detailed in
appendix 5 of the BADV guarantee a minimum number of two operators at each of the
airports within the scope of the Directive. Further in the same response, the government
stated that it currently does not plan to further liberalise the market for ground handling at
German airports.
16.18 Therefore, at least two ground handling operators are required at each of the airports within
the scope of the Directive. The government is not aware of any case where fewer than two
operators are present, as this would require temporary permission from the European
Commission in accordance with Article 9 paragraph 4 of Directive 96/67/EC.
Issuing of new licences for ground handling operators
16.19 The formal procedure for the selection of third party operators and airport operators for
ground handling services is regulated in Article 7 of the BADV. In accordance with these
provisions, new licenses for ground handling operators are to be procured through
competitive tendering at a European level. The airport itself is responsible for selecting the
operator, in cases where it does not offer such ground handling services by itself. In the latter
case, the responsibility for selection of the operator lies with the aviation authorities of the
federal states. The selection criteria are detailed in Article 7 and appendix 2 of the BADV,
stating that bids as part of the tender specification shall be appropriate, objective,
349
http://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/bundesrecht/luftvg/gesamt.pdf
350
Deutscher Bundestag, http://dip21.bundestag.de/dip21/btd/18/072/1807260.pdf, accessed 7 April
2016
351
2016
352
2016
June 2016 | 172

transparent, and non-discriminatory. There is no specific mention on the nationality of the
bidder, and it is explicitly stated that the tender shall be published in the Official Journal of the
European Community to allow the participation of all interested organisations.
16.20 Appendix 3 of the BADV specifies requirements for operators to provide ground handling
services, which in particular relate to reliability, professional competence and financial
capacity of the ground handling service provider but contain no mention of requirements with
respect to the origin of the operator.
16.21 The federal ministry of transport and digital infrastructure (BMVI) is responsible for the
technical and legal control of airports vis a vis the aviation authorities of the federal states. To
date, the BMVI has not been required to oversee or intervene in the licencing of third party
ground handling operators.
16.22 As an example of the process in practice, in March 2015 Düsseldorf Airport expressed
discontent about the competitive situation at its airport, claiming that the only third party
ground handling operator holds a market share of 85% at the airport and is understood to be
in a near-monopolistic position. As a result, the aviation authority of the federal state of North
Rhine-Westphalia granted licences for two additional third party operators at the airport and
notified the BMVI of the matter in December 2015.
The ground handling market in Germany
16.23 Figure 16.1 is from a Lufthansa policy brief of April 2014 and shows the market shares of
independent ground handling operators at German airports. ‘Flughafen/ Tochter’ denotes
airport, or airport subsidiary, handlers and ‘Drittabfertiger’ denotes third party handlers.
Figure 16.1: Independent ground handling operators at German airports
June 2016 | 173

Source: BDF, 2016
16.24 According to the German Airline Association (BDF), by 2014, 15 years after the opening of the
market, new market entrants for ground handling services held a market share of 20% in
terms of flight movements.
16.25 The table below summarises the ground handling operators at major German airports in 2014.
With the exception of Berlin, the airport operator holds one of the two places for ground
handling organisations at the airport.
Table 16.2: Ground Handling operators at German airports
Airport Operator 1 Operator 2

Frankfurt Airport operator Acciona Airport Services
Munich Airport operator Swissport Losch
Berlin Acciona Airport Services WISAG
Düsseldorf Airport operator Aviapartner
Cologne Airport operator WISAG
Hamburg Airport operator WISAG
Stuttgart Airport operator Losch Airport Services
Hanover Airport operator Aviapartner
Nuremberg Airport operator
Bremen Airport operator
Source: German Airline Association, 2014
16.26 To provide ground handling services at German airports, the common practice so far has been
to establish local independent subsidiaries. As an example Acciona Airport Services established
ACCIONA Airport Services, Frankfurt GmbH to operate at Frankfurt Airport, and ACCIONA
Airport Services, Berlin GmbH to operate at the two Berlin airports Tegel and Schönefeld.
Accordingly, Swissport Losch established Swissport Losch München GmbH & Co. KG to provide
ground handling services at Munich Airport.
Conclusion
16.27 Ownership of German airports is dominated by the public sector, with Frankfurt, Düsseldorf
and Hamburg airports being the only major airports with a stake owned by the private sector,
albeit a stake that in any of the cases never exceeds 50%. This ownership structure has the
potential to create conflicts of interest, as the responsible bodies for airport regulation are the
aviation authorities of the federal states, which in many cases also administrate the ownership
of the federal states of the airports they regulate.
16.28 The German government has applied Directive 96/67/EC and limited the opening of the
market for certain types of ground handling services, and listed the number of permissible
ground handling operators by airport in national legislation. However in a later clarification,
the government emphasised that these numbers are minimum (rather than maximum)
numbers which are kept up to date according to the current number of ground handling
operators at the respective airport. New licences required approval by the aviation authorities
of the federal states. There remains a lack of clarity towards the criteria for issuing new
licences, and the obstacles of ground handling operators to enter the market.
June 2016 | 174

17 Market overview: UK
Introduction
management in the UK, and identify any barriers to market entry or other restrictions into this
area or the ground handling sector.
Airport ownership
Context
17.2 Until 1987 all runway and terminal assets in the United Kingdom (UK) were either owned by
the British Airports Authority (BAA), a corporate enterprise belonging to the UK government,
or by airports’ respective local authorities (UK Local Government).
17.3 Airport ownership legislation changed with the publication of the Airports Act 1986353. The
introductory text of this law states that it is “to provide for the dissolution of the British
Airports Authority and the vesting of its property, rights and liabilities in a company nominated
by the Secretary of State; to provide for the reorganisation of other airport undertakings in the
public sector; […] to make provision with respect to the control of capital expenditure by local
authority airport undertakings; and for connected purposes.”354
17.4 The Airports Act 1986, c. 31 Part 1 sets out the transfer of undertaking of BAA, c. 31 Part 2 sets
out the transfer of airports undertaking of local authorities.
British Airports Authority (BAA)
17.5 In 1985, BAA was responsible for 7 state-owned airports (Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted,
Prestwick, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen). BAA was incorporated under the Airport Act
1986 at the end of 1985 and was privatised in July 1987. The UK government retained only a
2.9% stake355 in the new private company BAA Plc, which it then sold in 1996.
17.6 In 1990 BAA Plc purchased Southampton Airport; in 1992 it sold Prestwick Airport to PIK
Facilities. In 2006, a consortium led by Spanish construction group Ferrovial took over BAA Plc,
changing the name to BAA Ltd. In 2009, the UK Competition Commission required BAA to sell
two of its three London airports and one airport in Scotland. In 2009, therefore, BAA Ltd sold
Gatwick Airport to Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), a USA based group, and shares were
353
Gov.uk, accessed 24 March 2016. http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1986/31/contents
354
Gov.uk, accessed 24 March 2016. http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1986/31/introduction
355
Gov.uk, accessed 24 March 2016. http://www.icao.int/sustainability/casestudies/unitedkingdom.pdf
June 2016 | 175

subsequently sold on to four international investors. The 2015 ownership structure of Gatwick
Airport is shown in Figure 17.1.
Figure 17.1: Ownership structure of Gatwick Airport Limited (GAL) - 2015
12%
Global Infrastructure Partners
13% 42%
Future Fund Board of Guardians
The Abu Dhabi Investment

Authority
The California PERS
16%
NPS of Korea
17%
Source: Gatwick Airport Limited – 2014 end of year results
17.7 BAA Ltd then sold Edinburgh airport to GIP in April 2012 and London Stansted airport to the
Manchester Airports Group (MAG) in January 2013.Following this, BAA Ltd changed its name
to Heathrow Airport Holdings Limited (HAL). By 2014, HAL owned only Heathrow airport,
having sold Glasgow, Southampton and Aberdeen airports to AGS Airports Ltd, a company
100% owned by Macquarie and Ferrovial.
17.8 In 2016, there are 7 international stakeholders356 with a stake in HAL, as shown in Figure 17.2.
356
HAL – company information, accessed 24 March 2016.
http://www.heathrow.com/company/company-news-and-information/company-information
June 2016 | 176

Figure 17.2: Ownership structure of HAL - 2016
10% Ferrovial S.A.
25% Qatar Holding LLC

10%
Caisse des depots et placement du
Quebec
Government of Singapore
11% Investment corporation
Alinda Capital Partners
20% China Investment Corporation

11%
USS
13%
Source: HAL website, 2016
Airports formerly owned by local authorities

17.9 In 1987, the majority of UK airports owned by local authorities were corporatised by law, due
to the requirement of the Airports Act 1986 for municipal airports with a turnover in excess of
£1 million to become public airport companies.
17.10 Over 20 corporatised airports have since been privatised. A significant proportion of the
airports’ private owners are international (from outside the UK):
 Leeds Bradford airport has been 100% owned since 2007 by Bridgepoint Capital, a
European private equity firm357;
 London City Airport was sold in February 2016 to a consortium of international
infrastructure investors: AIMCo, OMERS, Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan & Wren
House358;
 Birmingham Airport’s ownership structure is: 48.3% by Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan
and Australia’s Victorian Funds Management Corporation; 49.0% by seven West Midland
Metropolitan District Councils (UK Local Government); and 2.8% to staff;
 Bristol Airport is 100% owned by Australian investment company Macquarie; and
 Manchester Airport is owned by the Manchester Airport Group Property company, part of
the Manchester Airport Group (MAG). MAG is privately managed on behalf of the
following stakeholders: IFM investor, 35.5%; Manchester City Council, 35.5%; and the
other nine Greater Manchester Councils 29.0%359 (both UK Local Government).
357
Airportwatch website – Leeds Bradford Airport, accessed 29 March 2016.
http://www.airportwatch.org.uk/uk-airports/leeds-bradford-airport/
358
London City Airport website – News, accessed 29 March 2016.
http://www.londoncityairport.com/News/ReadPressRelease/London-City-Airport-Sale-Confirmed
359
MAG – company information, accessed 29 March 2016
http://www.magworld.co.uk/magweb.nsf/Content/AboutUsAndOurAirports
June 2016 | 177

Airport management
17.11 The legal framework concerning airport operator companies is described in the Airports Act
1986 (Part I concerning BAA and Part II concerning the airports that were owned and operated
by local authorities). It permits the creation of public airport operator companies.360
17.12 Nine of the ten largest UK airports (by passenger numbers in 2014) are directly managed by
their owners through operating companies:
 London Heathrow Airport is owned and managed by London Heathrow Holding Limited;
 London Gatwick Airport has been operated by its owners since 2009 through GAL;
 Manchester Airport and London Stansted Airport are directly managed by their owner,
MAG361;
 London Luton Airport is owned by London Luton Airport Group Limited, the largest
shareholder being Luton Borough Council (UK Local Government). The airport is managed
by its subsidiary London Luton Airport Operations Limited, owned by a consortium
composed of two private firms Aena and Ardian362;
 Edinburgh Airport is owned and operated by Edinburgh Airport Limited, a consortium
composed of UK and overseas companies363;
 Birmingham Airport is directly managed by its owner Birmingham Airport Holding
Limited364;
 Since 2014, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Southampton Airports have been owned and
managed by AGS Airport, a partnership between Ferrovial and Macquarie and Real Assets;
 Bristol Airport is fully owned and operated by Bristol Airport Company, which is owned by
Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan, a Canadian pension fund365; and
 Newcastle Airport is owned and managed by seven local authorities and AMP Capital
(Australian global investment manager) through Newcastle International Airport
Company366.
17.13 As described in the examples above, several international entities fully or partly own and
manage UK airports, indicating that there are no barriers, regulatory or otherwise, for non-UK
and non-EU based companies to obtain rights to own or manage UK airports.
360
Gov.uk, accessed 24 March 2016. http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1986/31/contents
361
MAG – company information, accessed 29 March 2016.
http://www.magworld.co.uk/magweb.nsf/Content/AboutUsAndOurAirports
362
London Luton website – Financial results, accessed 29 March 2016. http://www.london-
luton.co.uk/CMSPages/GetFile.aspx?guid=ffab31cf-016d-4f83-85d6-ba5784d5e2fb
363
Edinburgh Airport Limited – Financial result 2014, accessed 29 March 2016. https://s3-eu-west-
1.amazonaws.com/edinburghairport/files/2015/06/20150629_Final_signed.pdf
364
Birmingham Airport Ltd financial result 2014, accessed 29 March 2016.
https://birminghamairport.co.uk/media/2150/2014-15-bahl-website-version.pdf
365
Bristol Airport website – About us, accessed 29 March 2016. http://www.bristolairport.co.uk/about-
us/who-we-are/bristol-airport-ownership
366
Newcastle Aiport website – facts, accessed 29 March 2016. http://www.newcastleairport.com/facts
June 2016 | 178

Ground Handling
UK legislation on ground handling activities
17.14 UK legislation on ground handling is based on The Airports (Ground handling) Regulations
1997367 (GHRs), enacted on 3 October 1997. The GHRs implement the European directive
(Ground Handling Directive EU 96/67) on access to the ground handling market at Community
airports, and delegates regulatory oversight powers to the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
17.15 The GHRs do not include any specific nationality requirements for ground handling operators
wishing to access the UK ground handling market, with an exception taking the form of a
reciprocity rule: third countries (either EU or non-EU) that either do not grant UK ground
handlers access to their own markets, or grant ground handlers from the third country more
favourable treatment than UK handlers, may have the obligations arising from the GHRs in
respect of suppliers of ground handling services and airport users from that third country
wholly or partially suspended by the UK Secretary of State.
17.16 Approvals for ground handling licences are granted for a 7 year renewable period for all
operators and subcontractors. Approvals are granted by the managing body of the airport in
accordance with the GHRs rules.
The ground handling market in the UK
17.17 Six of the ten largest ground handlers in the UK are either international, or part of an
international group (Table 17.1).
Table 17.1: Main ground handlers operating in UK, 2016
Country of
Operator Shareholder Services provided
origin
368
Operate at 18 airports in the UK providing cargo and
Dnata UAE Emirates Group ground handling services as well as catering services.
Operate at Heathrow Terminal 4, providing ground

Cobalt UK Air France – KLM 369
handling services only .
Operate only at Heathrow, delivering passenger

Azzurra GHS UK GH Italia (Italy) services, ramp services, load control and flight
370
operations, ticketing sales desk and VIP lounge .
n/a (headquarters Operate at 11 airports in the UK, providing ground
Airline Services UK 371
are in Manchester) handling services .
Fund Accent Operate at 5 airports in the UK, providing ground and

Aviator UK UK 372
cargo handling services .
Equity (Norway)
367
Gov.uk, accessed 24 March 2016. http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1997/2389/contents/made
368
Dnata UK – Services, accessed 24 March 2016. http://www.dnata.co.uk/services
369
Cobalt – Heathrow, accessed 24 March 2016. http://www.cobaltgs.com/heathrow/
370
Ghitali – United Kingdom, accessed 24 March 2016. http://www.ghitalia.it/index.php/it/2014-06-25-
11-59-51/regno-unito/heathrow
371
Airline services - locations, accessed 24 March 2016. http://airline-services.com/our-locations/
372
Aviator UK - locations, accessed 24 March 2016. http://www.aviator.eu/locations/uk/
June 2016 | 179

Country of
Operator Shareholder Services provided
origin
Aviation Group n/a (headquarters Operate at 4 airports in the UK, providing ground and
UK 373
Support (AGS) in UK) cargo handling services, mainly to charters’ airlines .
Operate at 16 airports in the UK
United Menzies provides ground handling services at 16

Menzies John Menzies (UK)
Kingdom stations, cargo services at 12 stations and corporate
services at 4 airports.
374
Operate at 26 airports within the UK
HNA Group Co. Ltd Swissport provides ground handling services at 25
Swissport UK Switzerland
(China) stations, cargo services at 4 stations and fuel services
only at Heathrow and Newcastle airports.
375
Operate at 12 airports in the UK, providing ground
ASIG UK BBA Aviation (UK) handling and fuelling services.
Operate at 12 in the UK, mainly providing cargo
WFS fund Platinum handling services. They also provide ground handling
France 376
Equity (USA) services at Manchester airport .
Source: Steer Davies Gleave analysis of company websites
17.18 The GHRs permit both self-handling and handling to third parties.
17.19 For five selected UK airports, Table 17.2 presents the number of ground handling providers at
the airport. Each airport shown has at least three ground handlers providing services.
Table 17.2: Selected large/main airports in the UK with the number of ground handling providers at the airport
2015 passenger
Number of ground Name of Ground handling
Airport name numbers (arriving
handling providers providers
and departing)
 United;
 Azzurra;
 Menzies;
London Heathrow
74.9 million At least 9
377*  ASIG;
Airport  Dnata;
 British Airways;
 Swissport;
 Cobalt.
373
AGS website – about, accessed 24 March 2016. http://www.agshandling.co.uk/about-ags
374
Swissport - locations, accessed 24 March 2016.
http://www.swissport.com/index.php?id=4&level=country&continentId=4&countryId=72
375
Asig – about us, accessed 24 March 2016. http://www.asig.com/about/
376
WFS – our network, accessed 24 March 2016. http://www.wfs.aero/our-network/
377
HAL website, accessed 24 March 2016.
http://www.heathrow.com/file_source/Company/Static/PDF/Partnersandsuppliers/Ground_Handler_P
erformance_Report-Jan-16.pdf
June 2016 | 180

2015 passenger
Number of ground Name of Ground handling
Airport name numbers (arriving
handling providers providers
and departing)
 Airline Services;
London Gatwick 378
Airport
40.3 million 3  Menzies;
 Aviator.
London Stansted  Menzies;

379
Airport
22.5 million 3  Servisair;
 Swissport.
 Dnata;
380
Manchester Airport 23.1 million 3  Premiere Handling;
 Swissport.
 Aero Handling;
 ASIG;
381
Aberdeen Airport 3.4 million 5  Eastern Airways;
 Flight Support;
 Servisair.
Note: (*) This includes the ramp handlers only, list of all ground handling providers is not available
Source: CAA website for passenger numbers, airports’ websites for ground handling provider details
Conclusion
17.20 The above analysis indicates that there are no potential restrictions, either regulatory or
market-based, in place at national or at a lower administrative level on the nationality of the
ground handling company or its place of establishment in the United Kingdom.
378
GAL website, accessed 24 March 2016. http://www.gatwickairport.com/faqs/Ground-Handling-
Services-at-Gatwick/
379
Stansted Airport website, accessed 24 March 2016. http://www.stanstedairport.com/about-
us/media-centre/media-contacts/
380
Manchester Airport website – ground handling info, accessed 24 March 2016.
http://book.manchesterairport.co.uk/mancargo.nsf/Content/HandlingAgent
381
Aberdeen Airport website – Who does what, accessed 24 March 2016.
http://www.aberdeenairport.com/about-us/facts-and-figures/who-does-what/
June 2016 | 181

Appendices
June 2016 | 183

Study on airport ownership and management and the ground handling market in selected non-EU countries | Final Report
A Commercial service airports in Brazil

continued
Table A.1: Commercial Service airports with highest number of passengers in calendar 2015 (cont. from Table 5.1)
Passengers
Rank IATA code City Airport name 2015
(Total)
21 MCZ Rio Largo Zumbi dos Palmares 1,949,114
22 SLZ São Luís Marechal Cunha Machado 1,703,147
23 CGR Campo Grande Campo Grande 1,558,940
24 NVT Navegantes Ministro Victor Konder 1,459,971
25 BPS Porto Seguro Porto Seguro 1,455,384
26 JPA João Pessoa Presidente Castro Pinto 1,445,676
27 AJU Aracaju Santa Maria 1,244,879
28 RAO Ribeirão Preto Leite Lopes 1,240,464
29 THE Teresina Senador Petrônio Portella 1,176,289
30 UDI Uberlândia Ten. Cel Aviador César Bombonato 1,121,639
31 LDB Londrina Governador José Richa 1,041,553
32 PVH Porto Velho Governador Jorge Teixeira de Oliveira 937,653
33 MGF Maringá Sílvio Name Júnior 877,354
34 SJP São José do Rio Preto Professor Eriberto Manoel Reino 680,075
35 MCP Macapá Alberto Alcolumbre 658,515
36 STM Santarém Maestro Wilson Fonseca 650,514
37 PMW Palmas Brigadeiro Lysias Rodrigues 625,398
38 IOS Ilhéus Bahia - Jorge Amado 616,777
39 JOI Joinville Lauro Carneiro de Loyola 514,468
40 PNZ Petrolina Senador Nilo Coelho 448,460
41 JDO Juazeiro do Norte Orlando Bezerra de Menezes 438,201
42 XAP Chapecó Serafin Enoss Bertaso 438,140
43 PLU Belo Horizonte Pampulha 423,154
44 RBR Rio Branco Plácido de Castro 384,144
45 MOC Montes Claros Mário Ribeiro 376,184
46 MAB Marabá João Correa da Rocha 371,906
47 BVB Boa Vista Atlas Brasil Cantanhede 340,203
48 IMP Imperatriz Prefeito Renato Moreira 314,438
June 2016 | 184

Passengers
Rank IATA code City Airport name 2015
(Total)
49 ATM Altamira Altamira 311,053
50 OPS Sinop Presidente João Batista Figueiredo 270,349
51 FEN Fernando de Noronha Fernando de Noronha 225,027
52 CKS Parauapebas Carajás 205,054
53 CXJ Caxias do Sul Regional Hugo Cantergiani 174,826
54 JTC Bauru e Arealva Bauru/Arealva 143,333
55 UBA Uberaba Mário de Almeida Franco 124,019
56 CPV Campina Grande Presidente João Suassuna 113,787
57 AUX Araguaina Araguaina 88,371
58 AFL Alta Floresta Piloto Oswaldo Marques Dias 74,116
59 CZS Cruzeiro do Sul Cruzeiro do Sul 64,731
60 TFF Tefé Tefé 53,673
61 ROO Rondonópolis Maestro Marinho Franco 49,300
62 CAW Campos dos Goytacazes Bartolomeu Lisandro 48,985
63 JPR Ji-Paraná José Coleto 37,622
64 CMG Corumbá Corumbá 32,986
65 MEA Macaé Benedito Lacerda 20,595
June 2016 | 185

B Ownership & Status Of Commercial

Airports In Turkey
Table B.1: Ownership & Status Of Commercial Airports In Turkey
Airport Owner Status

İstanbul Atatürk DHMI + Undersecretariat of Treasury Civil
İstanbul Sabiha Gökçen (*) Undersecretariat for Defence Industries (SSM) Civil
Ankara Esenboğa DHMI Civil
İzmir Adnan Menderes Undersecretariat of Treasury Civil
Antalya DHMI+ Undersecretariat of Treasury Civil
GazipaşaAlanya (*) DHMI Civil
MuğlaDalaman Undersecretariat of Treasury Civil & Military
MuğlaMilas-Bodrum DHMI Civil
Adana DHMI+ Undersecretariat of Treasury Civil
Trabzon DHMI Civil
Erzurum DHMI+ Undersecretariat of Treasury Civil & Military
Gaziantep DHMI Civil
Adıyaman Undersecretariat of Treasury Civil
Ağrı Ahmed-i Hani DHMI Civil
Amasya Merzifon TSK + THK Civil & Military
Aydın Çıldır (*) Undersecretariat of Treasury Civil
Balıkesir KocaSeyit Undersecretariat of Treasury Civil
Balıkesir Merkez TSK Civil & Military
Batman TSK Civil & Military
Bingöl DHMI Civil
Bursa Yenişehir Undersecretariat of Treasury Civil & Military
Çanakkale Undersecretariat of Treasury Civil & Military
Çanakkale Gökçeada TSK Civil
Denizli Çardak Undersecretariat of Treasury Civil & Military
Diyarbakır Undersecretariat of Treasury Civil & Military
Elazığ Undersecretariat of Treasury Civil & Military
Erzincan Undersecretariat of Treasury Civil & Military
Eskişehir HasanPolatkan (*) Anadolu University Civil & Military
Hakkari Yüksekova S.E. DHMI Civil & Military
Hatay DHMI Civil
Iğdır DHMI Civil
Isparta Süleyman Demirel Undersecretariat of Treasury Civil
Kahramanmaraş TSK Civil
Kars Harakani DHMI Civil
June 2016 | 186

Airport Owner Status

Kastamonu DHMI Civil
Kayseri TSK Civil & Military
Kocaeli CengizTopel TSK Civil & Military
Konya TSK Civil & Military
Malatya Undersecretariat of Treasury Civil & Military
Mardin Undersecretariat of Treasury Civil
Muş Undersecretariat of Treasury Civil & Military
Kapadokya Undersecretariat of Treasury + DHMI Civil
Ordu-Giresun DHMI Civil
Samsun Çarşamba Undersecretariat of Treasury Civil
Siirt Undersecretariat of Treasury Civil
Sinop DHMI Civil
Sivas Nuri Demirağ TSK Civil & Military
Şanlıurfa Gap Undersecretariat of Treasury Civil
ŞırnakŞerafettinElçi DHMI Civil
TekirdağÇorlu Undersecretariat of Treasury Civil & Military
Tokat DHMI Civil
Uşak TSK Civil & Military
Van Ferit Melen DHMI Civil
Zafer (*) DHMI Civil
Zonguldak Çaycuma (*) DHMI Civil
*Airports managed by private companies under DHMI supervision

Source: Ministry of Transport http://www.ubak.gov.tr/BLSM_WIYS/UBAK/tr/Ana_Plan_Stratejisi/1, DHMI
Activity Report 2014 http://www.dhmi.gov.tr/getBinaryFile.aspx?Type=9&dosyaID=573
June 2016 | 187

C Number of ground handlers by

airport in Turkey
Table C.1: Number of ground handlers by airport: Group A & Group B Licences (2015)
Airport No. of Gp Group A licenced No. of Gp Group B licenced handlers

A licenced handlers B licenced
handlers handlers
GÜNEŞ EKSPRES HAVACILIK A.Ş.
ONUR AIR TAŞIMACILIK A.Ş.
ÇELEBİ HAVA SERVİSİ A.Ş.
PEGASUS HAVA TAŞIMACILIĞI
ADANA 3 HAVAŞ 5
A.Ş.
TGS YER HİZMETLERİ A.Ş.
TÜRK HAVA YOLLARI A.O.
ATLASJETHAVACILIK A.Ş.
ADIYAMAN 1 HAVAŞ 1 TÜRK HAVA YOLLARI A.O.
AĞRI 1 HAVAŞ 1 TÜRK HAVA YOLLARI A.O.
AMASYA MERZİFON 1 HAVAŞ 2 PEGASUS HAVA TAŞIMACILIĞI
A.Ş.
ATLASJET HAVACILIK A.Ş.
ÇELEBİ HAVA SERVİSİ A.Ş. PEGASUS HAVA TAŞIMACILIĞI
ANKARA ESENBOĞA 3 HAVAŞ 4 A.Ş.
TGS YER HİZMETLERİ A.Ş. TÜRK HAVA YOLLARI A.O.
A.Ş.
ANTALYA 3 HAVAŞ 10
TURİSTİK HAVA TAŞIMACILIK
A.Ş. ATLASJETHAVACILIK A.Ş.
SUNEXPRESS DEUTSCHLAND
GMBH AEROFLOT TRANSAERO
AÇIK A.Ş.-TÜRKİYE ANTALYA
ŞUBESİ
ANTALYA GAZİPAŞA 1 HAVAŞ 0 No Group B Licenced Company
BORA JET HAVACILIK TİC.A.Ş.
BALIKESİR KOCA ATLASJET HAVACILIK A.Ş.
1 ÇELEBİ HAVA SERVİSİ A.Ş. 3
SEYİT PEGASUS HAVA TAŞIMACILIĞI
A.Ş
BATMAN 1 HAVAŞ 1 TÜRK HAVA YOLLARI A.O.
BİNGÖL 1 ÇELEBİ HAVA SERVİSİ A.Ş. 1 TÜRK HAVA YOLLARI A.O.
BURSA YENİŞEHİR 1 ÇELEBİ HAVA SERVİSİ A.Ş. 1 TÜRK HAVA YOLLARI A.O.
June 2016 | 188


handlers handlers
ÇANAKKALE 1 ÇELEBİ HAVA SERVİSİ A.Ş. 0 No Group B Licenced Company
DENİZLİ ÇARDAK 2 2 PEGASUS HAVA TAŞIMACILIĞI
HAVAŞ
A.Ş.
DİYARBAKIR 1 ÇELEBİ HAVA SERVİSİ A.Ş. 1 TÜRK HAVA YOLLARI A.O.
ERZURUM 1 ÇELEBİ HAVA SERVİSİ A.Ş. 1 TÜRK HAVA YOLLARI A.O.
GAZİANTEP 1 HAVAŞ 2
HAKKARİ-YÜKSEKOVA 1 ÇELEBİ HAVA SERVİSİ A.Ş. 0 No Group B Licenced Company
HATAY 2 2 A.Ş.
HAVAŞ
IĞDIR 1 ÇELEBİ HAVA SERVİSİ A.Ş. 1 TÜRK HAVA YOLLARI A.O.
ISPARTA SÜLEYMAN
1 ÇELEBİ HAVA SERVİSİ A.Ş. 0 No Group B Licenced Company
DEMİREL
ATLASJET HAVACILIK A.Ş.
İRAN İSLAM CUMHURİYETİ
HAVA YOLLARI
LUFTHANSA ALMAN HAVA
YOLLARI
MNG HAVA YOLLARI VE
TAŞIMACILIK A.Ş
İSTANBUL ATATÜRK 3 HAVAŞ 10
SUUDİ ARABİSTAN HAVA
YOLLARI
SWISS INTERNATIONAL AIR
LINES LTD. AEROFLOT-RUS
HAVAYOLLARI MERKEZİ
TARKİM UÇAK BAKIM TİCARET
LTD.ŞTİ
İZMİR ADNAN
3 HAVAŞ 4 A.Ş.
MENDERES
KAHRAMANMARAŞ 1 ÇELEBİ HAVA SERVİSİ A.Ş. 1 TÜRK HAVA YOLLARI A.O.
KARS HARAKANİ 1 ÇELEBİ HAVA SERVİSİ A.Ş. 2
KASTAMONU 1 HAVAŞ 1 TÜRK HAVA YOLLARI A.O.
KAYSERİ 2 1 TÜRK HAVA YOLLARI A.O.
HAVAŞ
KOCAELİ CENGİZ No Group A Licenced
0 1 TÜRK HAVA YOLLARI A.O.
TOPEL Company
KONYA 1 HAVAŞ 1 TÜRK HAVA YOLLARI A.O.
MALATYA 2 4 ONUR AIR TAŞIMACILIK A.Ş.
HAVAŞ
A.Ş.
June 2016 | 189


handlers handlers
MARDİN 1 ÇELEBİ HAVA SERVİSİ A.Ş. 0 No Group B Licenced Company
MUĞLA DALAMAN 3 HAVAŞ 2 A.Ş.
MUĞLA MİLAS A.Ş.
3 HAVAŞ 3
BODRUM TÜRK HAVA YOLLARI A.O.
MUŞ 1 HAVAŞ 2 PEGASUS HAVA TAŞIMACILIĞI
A.Ş.
NEVŞEHİR
1 HAVAŞ 2 PEGASUS HAVA TAŞIMACILIĞI
KAPODAKYA
A.Ş.
SAMSUN ÇARŞAMBA 2 4 ONUR AIR TAŞIMACILIK A.Ş.
HAVAŞ
A.Ş.
SİNOP 1 HAVAŞ 1 TÜRK HAVA YOLLARI A.O.
BORA JET HAVACILIK
No Group A Licenced
SİİRT 0 1 TAŞIMACILIK UÇAK BAKIM
Company
ONARIM VE TİC.A.Ş.
SİVAS NURİ DEMİRAĞ 1 HAVAŞ 2 PEGASUS HAVA TAŞIMACILIĞI
A.Ş.
ŞANLIURFA GAP 1 HAVAŞ 1 TÜRK HAVA YOLLARI A.O.
ŞIRNAK ŞERAFETTİN
1 HAVAŞ 1 TÜRK HAVA YOLLARI A.O.
ELÇİ
TEKİRDAĞ ÇORLU 1 ÇELEBİ HAVA SERVİSİ A.Ş. 1 TÜRK HAVA YOLLARI A.O.
BORA JET HAVACILIK
No Group A Licenced
TOKAT 0 1 TAŞIMACILIK UÇAK BAKIM
Company
TRABZON 2 2 A.Ş.
HAVAŞ
BORA JET HAVACILIK
No Group A Licenced
UŞAK 0 1 TAŞIMACILIK UÇAK BAKIM
Company
VAN FERİT MELEN 2 2 PEGASUS HAVA TAŞIMACILIĞI
HAVAŞ
A.Ş.
ZAFER 1 HAVAŞ 0 No Group B Licenced Company
June 2016 | 190

Table C.2: Number of Group C ground handlers by services and airport
1. Overhaul
and
Aviation Flight Overhaul and
Airport Management Catering
Security Operation Management
2. Flight
Operation
ADANA 1 2 7
ANKARA ESENBOĞA 1 3 3 7
ANTALYA 1 3 4 14
ANTALYA GAZİPAŞA 3 6
BALIKESİR KOCA SEYİT 2
BURSA YENİŞEHİR 1 2 1 8
DENİZLİ ÇARDAK 1 2
DİYARBAKIR 4
ELAZIĞ 3
ERZİNCAN 1
ERZURUM 1 1 7
GAZİANTEP 1 1 1 5
HATAY 1 4
ISPARTA SÜLEYMAN DEMİREL 1 1 1 5
İSTANBUL ATATÜRK 3 3 4 14
İZMİR ADNAN
1
MENDERES
İZMİR ADNAN MENDERES 1 2 1 9
KARS HARAKANİ 2
KAYSERİ 1 2 2 5
KOCAELİ CENGİZ TOPEL 1
KONYA 1 1 3
MALATYA 3
MUĞLA DALAMAN 3 1 8
MUĞLA MİLAS BODRUM 3 2 7
NEVŞEHİR KAPADOKYA 1 1 7
SAMSUN ÇARŞAMBA 1 2 2 5
SİVAS NURİ DEMİRAĞ 1
ŞANLIURFA GAP 1
TEKİRDAĞ ÇORLU 2 16
TRABZON 1 1 1 5
VAN FERİT MELEN 1 5
ZAFER 1
ZONGULDAK ÇAYCUMA 2
June 2016 | 191

CONTROL INFORMATION
Prepared by Prepared for

Steer Davies Gleave DG MOVE, European Commission
28-32 Upper Ground DM 28 - 0/110
London SE1 9PD Avenue de Bourget, 1
+44 20 7910 5000 B-1049 Brussels (Evere)
www.steerdaviesgleave.com Belgium
SDG project/proposal number Client contract/project number

22907301 MOVE/E1/SER/2015-247-3
Author/originator Reviewer/approver
Rosie Offord Stephen Wainwright
Other contributors Distribution

Client: SDG:
Version control/issue number Date

Final v 1.0 10 June 2016
U:\GROUNDHANDLING\_ Studies\International GH\Important emails\22907301 - Airports and GH - Final Report v 13 07 2016 with disclaimer.docx
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Study on airport DG MOVE, European

ownership and Commission

management and the

Final Report Our ref: 22907301

management and the

Final Report Our ref: 22907301

Prepared by: Prepared for:

Steer Davies Gleave DG MOVE, European Commission

3 GATS and bilateral frameworks ........................................................................................... 5

4 International trends ......................................................................................................... 20

5 Case study: Brazil.............................................................................................................. 36

6 Case study: China ............................................................................................................. 51

7 Case study: India .............................................................................................................. 59

8 Case study: Japan ............................................................................................................. 69

9 Case study: Mexico ........................................................................................................... 82

10 Case study: Morocco .......................................................................................................100

11 Case study: Philippines ....................................................................................................108

12 Case study: Turkey...........................................................................................................115

13 Case study: United Arab Emirates ....................................................................................136

14 Case study: USA...............................................................................................................148

15 Market overview: France .................................................................................................161

16 Market overview: Germany .............................................................................................169

17 Market overview: UK .......................................................................................................175

June 2016 | iii

Operator Stations (2011) Stations (current)

June 2016 | vii

Airport Ownership Airport Management Ground Handling

June 2016 | viii

Airport Ownership & Management Ground Handling

Legal framework exists for airport Market liberalised in

Stakeholder Type Stakeholder Status

Approach to collecting data

Brazil Horizontal Commitment (i.e. all sectors included in the schedule):

China Horizontal Commitment (i.e. all sectors included in the schedule):

Mexico Horizontal Commitment (i.e. all sectors included in the schedule):

Sector: Airport and helicopter administration services (CPC 746)

Philippines Horizontal Commitment (i.e. all sectors included in the schedule):

Turkey Horizontal Commitment (i.e. all sectors included in the schedule):

Source: WTO, https://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/serv_e/serv_commitments_e.htm

United Preferential treatment GCC countries Indefinite GCC regional

Source: WTO, https://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/serv_e/serv_commitments_e.htm

The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP)

Country EU Trade Agreement Status

*A sub-regional South American trading bloc

Category Key criteria Examples

Source: Steer Davies Gleave analysis

Ownership Group Current airports (2015/2016) – non-exhaustive list

Operator Stations (2011) Stations (current)

1 GRU Guarulhos – Sao Paulo Guarulhos 38,341,767

14 FLN Florianópolis Hercílio Luz 3,638,825

Source: ANAC (http://www2.anac.gov.br/Estatistica/DadosEstatisticos/dadosestatisticos.asp)

Brazil: Airport ownership

Rank IATA (code) City Airport name Passengers 2015 (Total)

1 GRU Guarulhos Guarulhos 38,341,767

Source: ANAC (http://www2.anac.gov.br/Estatistica/DadosEstatisticos/dadosestatisticos.asp)

Concession Concession Participation as % of

Presidente Consórcio Infravix Brazil 50%

20.9% RM Ground Handling

1.1% 3.0% Provoo