Government Ready To Take Control of San José Airport
The ministra de Obras Públicas y Transportes, Karla González, announced yesterday that the government has begun the process of taking the management of the Juan Santamaría (San José) international airport off the hands of Alterra Partners.

Alterra missed the deadline of last Friday to present a detailed financing plan for the coming years on the completion of the construction of the airport terminal and its management.

Gail McAliser, representing the Corporación Financiera Internacional (IFC), who is financing the project, met yesterday with the transport minister, telling her that there is still no definite answer on the Alterra financing request. ICF said that the banks involved in financing the deal have yet to reach an agreement.

The minister was clear in her decision that she has asked the Concejo Técnico de Aviación Civil (CTAC) to notify Alterra within eight days of the government's intention to take over control of the airport if Alterra cannot respond with a definite financing plan.

However, the process is a slow one. And it is most likely that during the next seven months that the process can take, Alterra will have found the funding to complete the construction and continue managing the airport.

Transport vice-minister, Viviana Martín, said that Alterra, as part of the process, will have the next 60 days after receiving notification by CTAC to justify how it will finance the work. If at the end of the seven month process, the most important and busiest airport in the country will be in the hands of the government or it could continue to be managed by Alterra, Martín explained.

Minister Gonzalez was emphatic that the government has no problem and is ready to assume the responsibility of managing the airport. The minister said it is most likely that the government will take control of the management of the airport operations on a temporary basis and that Alterra will continue working on the terminal's completion.

For her part, vice-minister Martín said that Alterra will face fines for the delays and assured that Alterra will pay up even if it decides to leave the country.

Alterra, for the moment, is keeping quiet. Alfredo Aguileta, a director of Alterra, said that the company will wait for the CTAC notification before making any decisions.

"We will continue to operate as normal. The financing is part of a financial balancing plan for the project", said Aguileta.

Alterra Partners was founded in 2000 by Bechtel Enterprises, the financing, development, and ownership arm of Bechtel Corporation. By combining Bechtel Enterprises’ expertise with Bechtel’s global experience in engineering and construction, the new company offered a complete solution to governments intent on airport overhauls.

In July 2001, Singapore Changi Airport Enterprise Pte. Ltd. agreed to acquire 50 percent of Alterra Partners. Changi’s expertise in airport operations and concession management completed Alterra’s portfolio of skills, and vaulted the company into a leadership position in the aviation market.

In addition to the Juan Santamaria International Airport project, Alterra today has long-term concessions to develop and manage several other major airports, including London’s Luton Airport, and the Curaçao International Airport in the Netherlands Antilles.