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In December 2009 – following comprehensive project work which has spanned almost three years – the Government of the Republic of Congo signed a concession agreement for the development, operation and management of the country’s international airports Brazzaville, Pointe-Noire and Ollombo. The overall preparation of the strategy, the tendering process including the search for investors and the negotiation of the concession agreement were completely managed with the support of Lufthansa Consulting.

The agreement was signed by three Ministers of the Congolese Government and the new concessionaire AERCO (Aéroports de la République du Congo) with the French Egis Group and its subsidiary SEGAP as the operating company’s main shareholder. This consortium has extensive experience in airport management in Africa and all over the world. The airports of Libreville/Gabon, Abidjan/Côte d'Ivoire, Marseille/France as well as the airports of Larnaca and Paphos in Cyprus already benefit from the expertise and professionalism of EGIS/SEGAP in this field. AERCO will begin operation within the next three to six months.

Since 2005, the Government of the Republic of Congo has made sizable investments into the modernization of the country’s airport infrastructure in general and especially in the three airports under concession. In Pointe-Noire, the runway was extended to 2,600m and a new terminal was built. A second runway and a new passenger terminal building are close to completion in Brazzaville and also in Ollombo new facilities have been developed: The runway and aircraft parking positions are already in operation and a new passenger terminal and related facilities are under construction.

With this extensive project, Lufthansa Consulting has once again contributed to the development of a functioning aviation infrastructure in an aspiring African country. The German aviation consultants have gained experience and proved their expertise with similar successful projects, e. g. during the long-standing engagement with the privatization program of Burkina Faso’s international airport Ouagadougou or with the current privatization plans for the airports of Mali.

The successful cooperation between the Government of the Republic of Congo and Lufthansa Consulting continues in 2010. The development of an “Airport City” at Brazzaville airport has already been agreed as a follow-up project. Additional infrastructure will be developed in front of the terminal, including a commercial center and a conference venue. A hotel is already under construction. In addition, the Government will establish a governmental control unit to monitor AERCO, the new operator of the three airports. Currently, Lufthansa Consulting is managing the "Bureau de contrôle et de supervision" (the monitoring and supervision office).

Besides the activities around the airport, Lufthansa Consulting continues to assist the Congolese Government in starting up a new airline. A comprehensive five year business plan including the future network and fleet structure have already been developed. Lufthansa Consulting is also supporting the start-up implementation of the new airline and ensuring adherence to international high quality standards.