Vinci sounding out lenders for Belgrade airport concession

Vinci is said to be sounding out bank appetite for debt to finance its Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport upgrade and operate concession in Serbia. Vinci was appointed preferred bidder in early January after offering €501 million ($621 million) to manage the airport, €732 million in investment over the 25-year term of the concession and an annual fee of up to €16 million.

Vinci has UniCredit as financial adviser and is said to have approached a number of potential multilateral lenders including the IFC, EIB and EBRD. The Serbian government is looking to sign the concession agreement in March and close the privatisation before the end of the year.