Novaport makes proposals for Minsk Airport - ministry
MINSK. Oct 29 (Interfax) - Novaport is interested in participating in a project to establish an international transit hub at Minsk Airport, the head of the Belarusian Transport Ministry's aviation department, Vladimir Kostin, said at an online conference, organized by government agent BelTA, on Tuesday.
"A protocol has been signed on instructions from the prime minister, asking the Transport Ministry to continue working with Russian companies to create an international transit hub at Minsk national airport, which will link European cities to CIS countries," Kostin said about talks between the Belarusian government and AEON Corporation, which Novaport is part of.
"In accordance with the protocol the investor received materials on construction of a second runway and a new passenger terminal at the capital's airport," he said.
"On the basis of information provided by the airline Belavia, the investor compiled a strategy of development for the airline within the framework of establishing an international transit hub between Europe and the CIS at Minsk national airport. After reviewing this, it became clear the strategic aims in the different areas of development coincide with the plans of the Belarusian airline," Kostin said.
A priority is the development of transit passenger flows between the west and the east via Minsk Airport. "Some areas and information in the strategy are of a declarative nature and are not justified with analysis," Kostin noted.
"In late July there was a meeting with the management of LLC Novaport. Now the Russian investor is working on a business plan to build an up-to-date aviation repair plant at Minsk Airport, taking into account proposals from Inteco (Russia) as well as options for including Belaruain regional airports in the discussed project," he said. Minsk Airport property is currently being valued, he added.
Belarus and China signed an agreement in 2010 to reconstruct Minsk Airport and build a second runway. Funding for the project was set at $600 million. It was to be built for 2014, in time for the World Hockey Championships. However, China then announced the cost of the project had virtually doubled.
Belarus is currently rebuilding the airport for the championship on its own.
This summer Belarus and China signed an additional agreement, in accordance with which project documentation is to be submitted in November-December. The project is to be implemented with a loan from China's EximBank.
Novaport belongs to Roman Trotsenko's AEON Corporation and investment company Meridian Capital. The holding manages Tolmachevo Airport in Novosibirsk (88% of shares), Barnaul Airport (48%), Tomsk Airport (75%), Chita Airport (100%), Chelyabinsk Airport (88.6%), Astrakhan Airport (43%) and Volgograd (51%).