Today, I want you to get a bit closer to the most important international airport concessions being carried out under a desing, build, finance and operate (DBFO) model:RIGA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT A total of three consortia, out of five shortlisted, submitted bids for the expansion and refurbishment of Riga international airport, in Latvia. The project is worth between €150m and €200m. Riga is one of the largest airports in the Baltic area having handled around 3.1 million passengers in 2007 although it expects 2009 to mark the fastest development in the airport's history with an expected throughput of five million passengers. The consortia include:- Hochtief Airport- TAV Airports Holding Company/ Skonto Buve;- Aerix Consortium (Aecon Concessions/ Africa Israel Investments/ AFI Europe/ Morgan Stanley Infrastructure Partners/ Venice Airport).A preferred consortium is expected to be chosen on March 6.PULKOVO AIRPORTThe 30-year DBFO project includes the complete reconstruction of Pulkovo's Terminal 2 and the refurbishment of Terminal 1.A high of 6.1 million passengers was reached at the St. Petersburg airport last year. That number is expected to reach 40 million by the end of the concession period. In August 2008 consortia pre-qualified:- GMR Infrastructure Limited;- Petroport (Leader Asset/ Vienna Airport Group);- Nevsky Airport (Basic Element/ Changi Airport/ Strabag);- Nevsky Sky (Macquarie Capital Group / Macquarie Renaissance);- St. Petersburg International Airport (Renova/ Hochtief);- TAV Airports Holding Company;- Financial-Industrial Company "Farvater" (VTB/ Fraport).ABU DHABI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORTAbu Dhabi's ambition to be a major hub for international air travel when it was announced that a shortlist of three construction firms for the US$6.8bn Midfield Terminal expansion. Abu Dhabi airport company (ADAC) is in the process of deciding how the public-private partnership (PPP) contract will be structured.The three remaining construction firms are:- Hochtief Airport- TAV Airports Holding Company- Aeroports de ParisThe shortlist follows a year-long tendering process, but Abu Dhabi Airport Company (ADAC) has not disclosed when the contract would be awarded.As you can see TAV Airports is the most active player in the international market. It is an international player in the field of airports management in the Middle East, North Africa and the Caucus, operates Istanbul, Ankara and Izmir Adnan Menderes airports in Turkey; its overseas operations include Georgia Tbilisi Airport and Batumi Airport and Monastir Habib Bourguiba Airport in Tunisia. TAV Airports also holds the rights to operate Antalya GazipaÅŸa Airport and Enfidha Zine Abidine Ben Ali International Airport in Tunisia.Some days ago TAV Airports Holding has won the bid to operate the Alexander the Great Airport in Skopje, St Paul the Apostle International Airport in Ohrid, and the new cargo airport in Shtip (all three in Macedonia).I would like to tell you again about the Gatwick Airport sale process. This is actually not a concession contract but just a sale, BAA's owner, Ferrovial, is trying to reduce its debt through it.GATWICK AIRPORTBAA and Spain's Ferrovial, its parent company, have been hoping to attract offers of about £2bn, but bidders indicated that a winning offer was more likely to be in the range of £1.7bn-£1.8bn.The consortia bidding include:- Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), a fund which has GE and Credit Suisse as its cornerstone investors. GIP owns London City Airport;- Lysander Gatwick Investment Group, (Citigroup Infrastructure Investors, Vancouver Airport Services and the John Hancock Life Insurance Group);- Gatwick Future Partnership, (RREEF and Babcock & Brown);- Manchester Airports Group and Canadian infrastructure investor Borealis Infrastructure;- A Canadian pension fund consortium comprising 3i, the Ontario Teachers Pension Plan and the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB);- Hochtief AirPort.