A consortium led by Aeroports de Paris (ADP) has proposed the highest concession fee to operate Sofia Airport in Bulgaria after the Transport Ministry opened bids in the tender.

ADP offered to pay €32.8m per year or 42.8% of the annual revenue, whichever is higher, Reuters reported.

In the tender for the Sofia Airport concession, a total of five airport operators and investors from the UK, Germany, France and Denmark made bids.

Partnering on the bid with Turkey’s TAV Airports, ADP offered to invest €903m in Sofia Airport over the duration of the contract. This is in addition to its annual concession fee.

“We will be looking very seriously at all the offers. We are happy with the interest shown.”

Minister of Transport, Information Technology and Communications Rossen Jeliazkov will select a winner.

Jeliazkov was quoted by Reuters as saying: “We will be looking very seriously at all the offers. We are happy with the interest shown.”

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Other bidders have proposed to spend between €600m and €1bn for the renovation of Sofia Airport and to expand its shopping and parking areas.

UK airport operator Manchester Airports Group bid in a tie-up with China-based construction firm BCEG, and offered an annual concession fee of €20m.

Germany’s Fraport is believed to have offered €21m.

Meanwhile, a consortium comprising Meridiam and Munich Airport operator offered €24.5m a year, while a partnership between Copenhagen Airports and SSB Sauernwein & Schaefer made a bid of €26.5m.

Bulgaria called the tender for the Sofia Airport concession in July last year.

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