The airport in Piešťany (source: TASR)
The management of the troubled small international airport in the spa town of Piešťany, in western Slovakia, has launched negotiations with a British company active in the automotive company Horiba Mira, Tibor Mikuš, the head of the board of directors of the Letisko Piešťany company operating the airport, informed on July 27.
Horiba Mira is one of the most important partners of the British carmaker Jaguar Land Rover, according to the Piešťanský denník daily. This global leader in engineering and the testing of motor vehicles may build a testing and engineering centre on plots of land owned by the airport company. Horiba Mira has shown interest in joining the troubled company as a strategic partner. Jaguar Land Rover is currently building a brand-new plant near Nitra, just 125 about 50 km from Piešťany.
“They are not interested only in air traffic and there will something more,” said Mikuš, who is also the head of the Trnava Region as cited by the TASR newswire, adding that the Slovak side will get the information on whether the talks will continue in November.
For now, the airport is living on the money it received from two of its shareholders – the Trnava Region and the Transport Ministry. The third shareholder is the city of Piešťany.
The airport has been suffering from decreasing interest in its services, both in passenger and cargo transport, for some years. Last year it was on the brink of bankruptcy.
Mikuš has repeatedly had information about the entry of a strategic partner into the Piešťany airport, but so far none of the negotiations has led to a final agreement.
Shareholders of the Letisko Piešťany company met on July 27 at a general assembly. They approved the annual financial statement of the airport for 2016 with a loss of more than €600,000 and the plan for 2017.
