TAV wins Bodrum-Milas airport tender for 717 million euros

ANKARA

Turkey’s leading airport operator, TAV Airports, has won a tender for the operational rights of the domestic and international terminals of the Milas-Bodrum airport, which serves one of Turkey’s most-developed and compelling holiday spots, Bodrum.

The company placed the highest bid of 717 million euro plus value added tax for control of the terminals until 2035, in the auction organized by the General Directorate of State Airports Authority (DHMİ) on March 21.

Four companies - YDA İnşaat, TAV Airports Holding, a consortium of German airport operator Fraport, which is also in charge of Antalya airport in Turkey, and local firm IC İçtaş, which will build and operate the third Bosphorus bridge in Istanbul, competed in the tender. A joint venture of Astaldi SPA, Ramairpot and Göçay İnşaat also took part.

After presenting their offers to the tender commission in the morning, the subsequent auction that was held in Ankara was very competitive.

Astaldi, which owns the operational rights of the airport’s international terminal until Sept. 22, 2015, was the first company to withdraw from the auction.

TAV emerged as the victorious bidder after the end of the 105th round of bidding. The IC İçtaş-Fraport consortium announced its withdrawal after around 20 rounds, after YDA had also pulled out of the competition. 

The Bodrum-Milas airport, the domestic terminal of which is currently controlled by the DHMİ, has an annual capacity of 7.6 million, mostly in the summer season when local and foreign tourist numbers boom.

As the leading airport operator in Turkey, TAV operates the Istanbul Atatürk, Ankara, İzmir and Antalya Airports in Turkey, as well as others in Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Macedonia, Georgia and Latvia.