Ciudad Real airport sale by auction suspended

ON November 5, acting Judge Carmelo Ordóñez halted the proposed sale of the airport of Ciudad Real for at least another ten days.

The sale by auction of the airport, which had its last commercial flight in 2012, has been placed on hold until the judge has had time to study all documents related to the auction and bidding procedures. The auction could be stopped altogether if administrative irregularities are discovered.

In July, the Chinese “Tzaneen International” group bid €10,000, and as there were no others received, the bid was accepted in principle but there was a 20 working days opportunity for others to present new bids.

Six offers were then presented before the deadline, and the highest bidder was reported to come from representatives of the British private military aircraft company ECA Program Group, Rafael Fernández Frías and Melville Ten Cate, who offered €80 million with proof of a bank deposit of 5 per cent being made.

ECA Program Group plans to turn the airport into a military pilots training centre.

Judge Carmelo Ordóñez doubts whether the €4 million bank guarantee provided by ECA Program Group would be cleared up after the company owner Melvin Ten Cate was declared bankrupt in May this year.

If Judge Ordóñez disqualifies the ECA bid, the next in line could be a €38 million offer from Murcian empresario José Luis Ruiz de la Hermosa on behalf of Grupo Orden Doce. Other bids received have been discounted. 

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