Caribbean airports: new investment alliances, but privatisation delays

The Caribbean Sea has attracted some notable airport privatisation deals over the years; and some surprisingly successful ones too. It is the centre of attention now as well, as a legion of heavy-hitting operators and investors have weighed in on the concession for the airport in Bridgetown, Barbados.

That process has been set back a couple of months, not surprisingly in the circumstances, but that fact shows no sign of reducing interest so far.

At the same time, the government in Puerto Rico is seeking operators for a number of regional airports, the concession on the main airport having been deemed a successful one. These regional airports are small though, and are a different prospect altogether.

And in the Bahamas, where the government is trying (again) to regain control of the Freeport Grand Bahama airport from a Hong Kong-based firm, a new airport project (Exuma) based around an existing one will seek a private operator through a P3 deal when it is completed.

All three transactions are, or will be, based around the P3 concept, which (as CAPA has often reported) is becoming the dominant one in the sector, just as it is in others.