More Investment on the cards for City Airport
Belfast Telegraph
- 8th November 2004
The Spanish company that bought Belfast City Airport last year has insisted
it is in Northern Ireland for the long haul.
Madrid-based Ferrovial Aeropuertos revealed it had already spent £10m on improving the airport since buying it from Bombardier Aerospace for £35m in May 2003.
And it has vowed to develop the site further "long term".
The company's chief executive officer, Luis Sanchez Salmeron, told a group of Northern Ireland journalists at a briefing in Madrid that the firm was "very happy to be in Belfast". He said Belfast City Airport had great potential.
Mr Salmeron admitted the current cap on passenger numbers at the airport - 1.5 million in and 1.5 million out per annum - was a hurdle to development, but he hoped a planning application for easing the restrictions would be successful and a solution could be found that "makes everyone feel comfortable".
However, he insisted the company will continue to develop the airport even if the cap remains.
"We have been investing and we will continue to invest," he said.
The company has spent £5.5m on refurbishing the runway at Belfast City and £4.5m on the provision of better services, such as improved baggage handling facilities.
The CEO said Ferrovial's long-term strategy was to develop the terminal, including shopping areas and restaurants, develop new services and partner with airlines on establishing new routes. "We will grow the airport as far as the environment will allow us to do it," he vowed.
Mr Salmeron said when the company bought Belfast City for "a reasonable price" it was confident the Northern Ireland market had big potential and it was also confident of long-term political stability in Ulster.
He said he wanted Northern Ireland people to know that a "solid, professional group" was behind the running of the airport and it wanted to make improvements which brought better services for passengers and airlines alike.
Ferrovial Aeropuertos, which owns two airports and has shares in two others, is a small cog in a huge machine. It forms part of parent company Ferrovial's infrastructures division, which also operates toll roads (1,700 kilometres) and car parks (200,000 sites).
But Ferrovial has three other divisions, the largest of which is construction. The Spanish firm's roots are in construction - it was founded 50 years ago - and it now has a buildings portfolio valued at €6.1bn.
Its services division - it bought roads/railway maintenance and facilities management firm Amey (UK) last year - has a portfolio worth around €5.2bn. Ferrovial is also the largest real estate company in Spain with €1bn of property on its books.
Ferrovial, through its various divisions, has operations across Europe, as well as in North America, South America and Australia.
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