David checks in for airport privatisation

DAVID BENTLEY . . . working on Spanish deal

Shaw-based air transport consultant David Bentley has been hired to work on one of the largest airport privatisations in history.

Spanish airports operator AENA, the world ’s biggest with 47 airports and more than 200 million passengers per annum, has invited private companies and consortia to manage Madrid and Barcelona airports under concession.

The transaction is expected to be worth more than five billion euros in total to the Spanish government.

Mr Bentley has teamed up with Malaga-based Aertec Solutions to offer advisory services to one of the leading bidders.

The procedure, which has been delayed for two years while AENA was prepared for privatisation, was expected to be completed in November, but is potentially subject to further delays because a general election has been called in Spain for on November 20.

Mr Bentley’s Big Pond Aviation consultancy is one of only two British companies known to be involved in the deal.

Separately, Big Pond Aviation has formed a collective with Feather Consulting (Altrincham) and Brandaviation (Liverpool) to compete for strategic assignments with leading global consultants.

The collective has won its first contract, to provide advice across a broad range of issues to the Norwegian state airports operator Avinor.

Mr Bentley is currently redrafting the air traffic forecasting manual for the Montreal-based International Civil Aviation Organisation, a UN agency tasked since 1947 with fostering the planning and development of international air transport to ensure safe and orderly growth.