SYDNEY (Reuters) - As more countries look to privatize airports two conflicting narratives have taken wing: airlines point to Australia’s big city airports as a cautionary tale of light regulation, while airports say they’ve found a winning formula for governments, investors and passengers.
Two decades after airports in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth were sold to pension funds and infrastructure investors, they are reporting the highest margins in the world, data from trade group Airlines for Australia & New Zealand (A4ANZ) shows.
A key factor - and one the airlines are trying to change - is that the government cannot regulate fees or even intervene in disputes over them.
