Grantley Adams airport concession in Barbados resumes within the ‘new realities’ of aviation

There is still a dearth of activity within the airport M&A sphere and it is encouraging to know that the PPP deal for Barbados’ Grantley Adams International Airport in Bridgetown is back on track, with an anticipated completion date of 1H2023.

All the original operators and groups that pre-qualified remain. But the circumstances that existed before the pandemic don’t.

The delay has allowed political opposition to grow and the main opposition party appears to be committed to seeing the airport return to government control one day, while being reticent about any more government financing being provided in the immediate future.

Moreover, there are concerns about where the new Republic of Barbados is heading politically and how it might affect ownership of transport facilities.

For all that, it is better that this deal goes to fruition now, rather than be delayed further.