INDONESIA. GMR Airports Netherlands, a subsidiary of GMR Airports Limited, has struck a 25-year deal to develop and operate Medan Kualanamu International Airport, a key gateway to western Indonesia.
GMR signed the agreement on 23 December as a 49:51 partnership with state-owned airport company Angkasa Pura II, after the award was made on 23 November. This followed an international tender for the project.
In a statement the consortium said it aims to “transform Kualanamu International Airport into the western international hub of Indonesia. The project scope includes operation, development and expansion of the airport”.
Medan is the fourth largest urban area in Indonesia and is the capital of North Sumatra province, with a population of over 3.4 million. The airport handled more than 10 million passengers in 2018.
GMR Group Chairman Energy & International Airports Srinivas Bommidala said: “GMR’s entry into the Indonesian aviation sector is a significant step in support of the Indian government’s policy to ‘Look East’. The Honourable Prime Minister has given a further clarion call to ‘Act East’ and GMR is pleased to demonstrate commitment to this call by acting in leveraging its expertise for cementing this key partnership in Indonesia.
“With our global aviation expertise, we aspire to transform Kualanamu International Airport into a western international hub of Indonesia and contribute to the overall infrastructure development of the country. Our partnership with Angkasa Pura II (AP II) is testimony to the trust placed in us by the Indonesian government and authorities. We will strive to bring our best to this beautiful and strategic country of ASEAN.”
GMR Group’s airport portfolio has a 172 million passenger capacity in operation and under development. GMR Airports is 49% owned by Groupe ADP.
The portfolio includes India’s busiest gateway, Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi; Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Airport; and Mactan Cebu International Airport (in partnership with Megawide) in the Philippines. Greenfield projects under development include an airport at Mopa in Goa and another in Heraklion, Crete, Greece in partnership with GEK Terna.
