Increased costs widen Santiago airport concessionaire's losses

Increased operating and financial costs impacted Santiago's Arturo Merino Benitez airport concessionaire SCL Terminal Aereo Santiago January-September results, with net losses widening to US$4.35mn from US$2.51mn in the same period last year. For the period, operating profit was down 31.5% to US$1.5mn, while revenue was up 0.86% to US$19.4mn, SCL said in a statement to the country's securities regulator, the SVS. Earlier this week, local construction and engineering firm Besalco submitted the lowest bid -25.9bn pesos - to build a second runway at the international airport. Works are expected to begin by end-December, with the 3.8km-long, 45m-wide runway ready in 2005 that will increase capacity by 30%.