Germany's Fraport-Slentel consortium preferred bidder for 14 regional airports

German airport operator Fraport AG along with Greek energy group Copelouzos was named the preferred bidder to lease and operate 14 regional airports, the country's privatisation agency said on Tuesday.

Fraport and Slentel, a unit of Copelouzos group, offered 1.23 billion euros to bid for the operation of airport terminals at some of Greece's most popular tourist islands such as Rhodes, Corfu, Mykonos and Santorini.

The consortium also offered 22.9 million euros as a guaranteed annual payable lease, which will be adjusted annually for inflation.

The amount offered by the consortium was much higher than both the independent evaluation and the next best offer.

Argentina's holding company CASA (Corporation America) with Greek engineering firm Metka, and France's Vinci Airports SAS with Greek contractor AKTOR were the other two bidders whose financial offers were unsealed on Tuesday.

ANA-MPA