French Polynesia airport operator scales back investment

2:32 pm on 13 July 2017

The company running French Polynesia's main airports, ADT, says investment plans have been scaled back because of uncertainty over any future contract.

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Photo: RNZ

In March, a Paris court annulled ADT's 30-year contract after finding that it had been awarded without going out to tender.

The court ordered the French state to terminate the deal within 12 months.

ADT's management said since it took over the operation of Tahiti's international airport in 2010, it has invested close to $US50 million in the territory.

Given the uncertainty over the future operation, plans for a new terminal in Tahiti have been deferred.

There is also concern about the drainage of the airport area because of recent flooding that forced the airport to close.

The airport management issue was raised in Paris this week by French Polynesia's president Edouard Fritch who met the French transport minister Elisabeth Borne.

Mr Fritch told the minister that the airport was vital for tourism and a matter of concern for the communities served by ADT, which include some outer islands.