Wallonia is selling its Liège and Charleroi airports

The starting point of this entire operation is a complete overhaul of the management model of the commercial infrastructures of both airports.

Currently based on a system of concessions between the Walloon Airports Corporation (Sowaer) and the two managing companies of the airports (BSCA for Charleroi and Liege Airport), the duration of these concessions service until 2041 . However, according to the Walloon government, this limited duration of 20 years could slow investments. " This is indeed a brake on the economic development of the two airports and investments which are limited in time.It must guarantee long-term investment ," says Jean-Luc Crucke. [19659004] The solution found by the MR and the cdH is to switch from a concession system to a licensing system (emphyteutic lease of minimum 27 years). In addition to rebaduring the future investments of the two managers, this modification has the advantage of guaranteeing those of private actors like Liège Hotel, TNT-Fedex and Augusta. " This measure must encourage investment ", insists the Minister.

Seen from the outside, this overhaul of the current agreement between the Walloon Region and the two managers could provoke major upheavals because by stating that "any potentially interested economic operator will be able to manifest and to apply for a license " the Region opens the door to the arrival of new actors . But in practice, the arrival of new players could be slowed by the entry ticket because in addition to compensation to be paid in case of eviction of the current manager to cover the operating loss by 2041, the candidate The manager will also have to disburse large amounts of money to exploit the infrastructure already in the hands of current managers.

Parallel to this transformation, the government will cede to the management companies the last commercial badets (terminal, parking) that it still owns via Sowaer. The value of the badets to be sold to Charleroi amounted to 59 million euros and that of the badets to be sold in Liège to 16 million. The sale could therefore bring 75 million euros to Wallonia.

If all these operations could potentially lead to changes in the capital level of airport managers, Region n does not want to lose its control in the management of airports. Shareholder up to 50.21% in the capital of BSCA and 24.1% in that of Liege Airport Jean-Luc Crucke has said on the sidelines of the government of Thursday that he would ensure that the Region keeps minimum blocking minority which, in the case of Charleroi for example, would amount to 25% plus one part. " This model, which is not a privatization but an optimization, will make it possible to sustain the economic growth of airports and will therefore generate a development of direct and indirect employment on airport platforms ", concludes the Minister.