ASUR to Fight for Riviera Maya Airport

Mexican airport operator ASUR will fight to take part in the bidding process for a planned airport in the Riviera Maya region which will drain passenger traffic away from its key runways at the resort of Cancun.

Chief Financial Officer Adolfo Castro said on Thursday ASUR will take the case to court if government authorities do not allow the company to bid for the rights to build and run the airport in Quintana Roo state.

The government has not yet decided if ASUR can participate in the bidding process. The sticking point is competition because ASUR already operates nine airports in Mexico’s southeast, including Cancun.

The government wants Riviera Maya airport because the region, just south of Cancun, is a booming tourist area especially around Playa del Carmen, which is popular with U.S. and European visitors.

Castro said the airport, which could cost between $120 million and $200 million depending on its size and facilities, would take time to construct because it is in an area with no infrastructure.

The government of President Felipe Calderon introduced a new flat rate business tax at the start of this year and ASUR opted to set up new deferred assets and liabilities provisions ahead of the changes.