The HOCHTIEF Concessions portfolio includes six airports of different sizes and structures in Athens, Budapest, Düsseldorf and Hamburg, Sydney and Tirana. Starting out from the long years of project experience in airport construction acquired by its parent group, HOCHTIEF, the company has steadily accumulated its competence in the airport sector. Today, HOCHTIEF Concessions takes over the management of its own shareholdings, handles privatizations, advises airports and the investors in the investment partnership HTAC, and participates in bidding procedures.

In airport privatizations around the world, HOCHTIEF Concessions acts as investor, strategic manager and concession-holder. With the spectrum of what it offers, the company covers all aspects of airport privatizations, from bidding and the acquisition of concessions or shareholdings through to the restructuring, financing and long-term development of airports. As industrial partner and expert advisor, the company places its know-how at the disposal of its investment and consortium partners and the airports in its portfolio. The HOCHTIEF Concessions subsidiary, HOCHTIEF AirPort (HTA), for instance, has founded HOCHTIEF AirPort Retail (HTAR), which as master concessionaire is responsible for all retail, catering and duty-free operations at Tirana International Airport.

Spectrum of services in the business field of airports:

• Concessions and portfolio management
• Corporate valuation, structuring and financing of airport transactions
• Acquisition and strategic optimization of concessions and company shareholdings
• Capex management in airport construction and expansion
• Services for the airport holdings and consulting for third parties in connection with business planning and financing, master planning, aviation and airport operations planning, non-aviation business and real estate development

In the last 30 years, the increase in passenger figures has been lastingly higher than the growth in gross domestic product. Although the financial crisis has slowed down the dynamism of the market, experience shows that the aviation industry recovers from crises extremely quickly. Since the second half of 2009, a positive trend towards renewed growth is already in evidence around the world.

In addition, airports are becoming increasingly important as hubs of transportation. As interfaces in a globalized world, they are sharpening their profile, and they have long been attractive centers for retailers, caterers and service-providers.

With the new challenges, the demands made on modern airport managements are changing. Only with an improved infrastructure, greater competitiveness and good prospects for growth can an airport be successful. That is why many countries are privatizing their airports and placing the operation and further development of these facilities into non-state hands.

The airport transactions of recent years have highlighted one salient fact: the more investors who enter the market, the greater the need for airport managers with operational experience. After all, financing and operating airports is a highly complex business, often far more than it is the case with other infrastructure facilities: airports are juxtaposed between different and often divergent economic, ecological and structural-policy interests. These are represented by various groups of stakeholders, including the shareholders, local residents and governments. Then there is the fact that privatization ventures in the field of airports are generally capital-intensive. On top of that, airports require a high level of ongoing investment, for instance to cope with increasing demand and more stringent security regulations.

In the airport privatizations market, HOCHTIEF Concessions, via its subsidiary HOCHTIEF AirPort, has established itself as a leading player – with a business model which combines the viewpoint on the financing side with the perspective of the operator. With this know-how, the company sets itself apart from its competitors.