By Garwin Davis,
Staff Reporter WESTERN BUREAU:
THE MUCH-anticipated sale of the Montego Bay Sangster International Airport, slated by the Government to be finalised by the end of April, has been delayed yet again.
According to Steven Wedder-burn, director of Special Projects at the National Investment Bank of Jamaica (NIBJ), the sale will be delayed not only to allow the legislative process to run its course but also to facilitate the remaining four bidders who have all requested more time.
April 2 was the deadline for accepting bids, he told The Gleaner last week. "These things usually take a least three months before anything can be decided on so I would say round about July would be a realistic date for the sale to be completed," said Mr. Wedderburn.
While admitting that the Israeli Construction Company, Astrom, which has a local branch in Jamaica, has now been included in the bidding process, Mr. Wedderburn denied that was the reason for the delay. Mr. Wedderburn said that Astrom came on board in January but only because a company that was part of a consortium had dropped out.
"Lcor, a part of the Vancouver group, dropped out so Astrom came on board," he emphasised. "There is nothing unusual about this. It had nothing to do with the delay which as I said before was also requested by the other bidders."
But Mr. Wedderburn's comments that the bidders requested a delay to the sale of the airport, contrast significantly to that of Frank Costella, a Washington-based lawyer representing a consortium of business interests listed among the four bidders seeking to purchase the airport. In an interview, he said that he was puzzled as to why the sale of the airport was taking so long.
"To invest US$125 million in any business venture, one must be confident that the business is viable," Mr. Costella said. "We are very enthused about making this deal and very confident in the bid we are putting on the table."
The other bidders are Airport Development Corporation and H P Development Company.
