MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentine group interested in managing Punta Arenas airport

Punta Arenas airport

An Argentine group firmly established in Patagonia is interested in participating in the tender for management of two of Chile's extreme south airports, Punta Arenas and Puerto Natales according to reports in the local press.

London Supply, a long established maritime supplier is also active, since 1994, in other diversified options such as airport administration and duty free shops and currently runs the air terminals of Ushuaia, El Calafate and Trelew, which it is also involved in expanding and financing. "Our objective is to expand into Chilean airports of similar size to those we manage, and that is why we are interested in Puerto Natales, Punta Arenas and Iquique (extreme north of Chile, next to Peru) since contracts are beginning to expire and will have to be renovated. The other market we're interested in is Peru, more precisely Cuzco", said Horacio Iriarte London Supply CEO. London Supply which begun in 1942 and has an annual turnover equivalent to 45 million US dollars is under the control of the Taratutti family. Besides some small and medium sized airports in Argentina they have a contract to manage the air terminal in Punta del Este, Uruguay. The Argentine group is currently involved in the expansion of Ushuaia and El Calafate air terminals which are to be jointly financed by both cities. Other projects include a smaller terminal in the Nahuel Huapi lake and expansion of Buenos Aires domestic flights airport, Aeroparque. Punta Arenas President Ibañez international airport is currently managed by the Chilean group Austral Sociedad Concesionaria S.A. but its concession expires in mid 2009, so potential bidders are preparing for next year's tender for another nine years.