Maribor Airport to be leased

Adria Airways in the race for Maribor Airport

Slovenia’s second airport, Maribor, is up for rent. The Slovenian Ministry for Transport published a call for bids for a 30 year lease of the airport’s infrastructure. The tenant will also become the new manager of the airport which is currently not served by any airline (with exception to the odd charter flight). The deadline for the submission of the bids is September 7, 2010. Maribor Edvard Rusjan Airport is currently leased to the Aerodrom Maribor company, owned by the troubled car seat cover maker Pervent. The new lease holder will be chosen on the basis of several criteria including the amount it is willing to pay for the lease, its business and development plans for the airport and the number of new jobs that will be available thanks to the lease.

The bidders for Maribor Airport will have to secure 70.000 Euros in bank guarantees and the ministry reserves the right to reject all offers if it deems them as inappropriate. Several Slovenian and foreign investors have reportedly already expressed interest. The companies mentioned include postal operator Pošta Slovenije, flag carrier Adria Airways, as well as the current lease holder.

Mairbor is Slovenia’s second largest airport, behind Ljubljana but ahead of Portorož. Maribor airport opened to commercial traffic in 1976 and upgraded its runway in 1999. In 2007, the airport reported 1.480 flight operations, 31.936 passengers and over 19 tons of transported cargo. The airport was, for several months, served by the low cost Ryanair, between 2007 and 2008. In 2010, Adria Airways and several other airlines relocated to Maribor during Ljubljana’s runway overhaul.