Balearics want a role in managing privatised airports

The Balearic government made it clear yesterday that it will do all it can to have a role in the running of the region’s airports now that part privatisation has been confimed.Balearic government spokesperson, Nuria Riera, said yesterday that the government “will do everything it can” to ensure that it participates in the management of the region’s airports after central government announced yesterday that shares in the world’s largest airport operator AENA will start trading on the Madrid stock exchange 11 February, following what may be one of the top European initial public offerings of the year.
“We’ve got to monitor and control if the future management of the Balearic s’ airports benefit the region and obviously, we will go down every avenue we can to be a part of running our airports,” she said.
Nuria stressed that the Balearic government’s primary concern is to increase inter island and domestic flights while opening new routes to new markets in order to boost air traffic and tourism.
“Our position of wanting to have a role in the future management of the airports has not changed and we are going to be closely watching those who express an interest in purchasing shares,” she added.
The announcement comes after the Spanish government said in October it would delay for a few months the partial sleigh of AENA, which was first slated for mid-November.
 At the time, people close to the situation said a combination of procedural issues, along with internal disputes among government agencies, accounted for the delay in the sale of the airport operator, the world’s largest by passenger numbers.
The government said  yesterday  that 28% of AENA will be floated on the stock market.