As a future concessionaire of Sofia Airport, the SOF Connect consortium reaffirms its commitment to the improvement and development of Sofia Airport as a key contribution to the Bulgarian economy and its recovery, and that it will work with all responsible stakeholders to achieve this goal. . This is stated in a press release from the company, quoted by BTA.
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Sof Connect’s position comes a day after BSP and GERB got into an argument in absentia through the media over the concession of Sofia Airport. Why the government is in a hurry in the last three weeks to conclude additional agreements to the concession agreement for Sofia Airport, asked the BSP to the Prime Minister Boyko Borissov and the Minister of Transport Rosen Zhelyazkov. According to the Socialists, the ruling party wants the money before the elections because they have most likely made some commitments. In response, GERB said it was attacking elements of the deal with incompetence, illiteracy and insolvency, and saw behind it “the new coalition between Democratic Bulgaria and the BSP.”
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False allegations have been made many times in an attempt to damage our reputation and the reputation of the consortium partners, who are internationally recognized economic and industrial operators in Europe, the consortium claims.
“This is a clear negative signal for any respected investor who sees Bulgaria as an investment destination. Given these constant attacks, we are forced to react to what we are unfortunately convinced is a provocation that does not correspond to the facts or our We are also examining the legal possibilities to counteract these false allegations, “the statement said.
“Meridian / the investment fund that holds 99 percent of the union / is an established and recognized investor in public infrastructure assets worldwide. We manage infrastructure assets worth over 70 billion euros and have invested in 90 public infrastructure projects worldwide, including For example, LaGuardia Airport in New York, we invest in the long term (more than 25 years) and our investors are insurance companies, pension funds and development banks such as the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the European Investment Bank, the consortium said.
“Despite the crisis caused by COVID-19, SOF Connect has confirmed its commitment to the concession and will attract more than BGN 900 million in long-term investment in Bulgaria immediately, as well as financially support the airport during the worst crisis in its history; significantly the services and infrastructure of Sofia Airport to ensure that it will be in the most favorable position in the region when the recovery from the crisis begins, paid BGN 550 million initial concession fee to the state budget of Bulgaria.
We remind you that SOF Connect signed a contract for the concession of Sofia Airport in July 2020 after a tender procedure that lasted 2 years and was conducted by the Bulgarian state with the support of international organizations and after the rejection of two instances by the Commission for Protection of Competition and the Supreme administrative court of appeals initiated by the other participants.
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“Contrary to what is being said publicly, no forgiveness is envisaged, but only a postponement of the payment of the annual concession fees due for the first 10 years of the concession period. This is absolutely necessary in order to maintain the financial stability of the airport, to the initial concession fee will be paid and the large-scale investment program, including the construction of a new Terminal 3, will be implemented, despite the drastic decline in air traffic.We would like to recall that Sofia Airport traffic is only a quarter of what it was during the tender procedure and that the global aviation industry is experiencing its worst crisis to date. Nevertheless, we are ready to accept the challenge of translating Sofia Airport through the crisis with the ambition to take a leading position in the region after overcoming the pandemic, “the statement said. the name of the concessionaire.
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