Argentina kicks off privatization process of airport ramps company

The Argentine government kick-started on Thursday a national and international public tender to sell Intercargo, the state-owned company responsible for ramp services at airports. The decision was formalized through Resolution 282/2026 and published in the Official Gazette. The selling was enabled by the Bases Law passed in July 2024, which declared the firm as subject to privatization, and then by a March 2025 decree that authorized the total privatization of the company. The regulation establishes that the transaction will be carried out through a multi-stage, base-price bidding process, aimed at ensuring transparency, competition, and maximum participation. The Economy Ministry approved the Single Set of Terms and Conditions and mandated that the entire process be conducted through the contrat.ar platform, where interested parties can access the documentation and submit their bids. The official schedule sets April 27, 2026, as the deadline for inquiries, while bids must be submitted by May 7 at 9:30 a.m., with the opening scheduled for 10 a.m. that same day. The resolution created an ad hoc Evaluation Committee composed of designated officials to review the proposals. The 2024 Bases Law declared four state-owned firms as subject to privatization and four others as subject to privatization or concession. Last year, the government announced it would go forward with the sale of 44% of Nucleoelctrica, the state-owned company in charge of Argentinas three nuclear power plants. Last year, after a 30-year concession contract matured, the Milei administration sold four state-owned hydroelectric power plants located on the Comahue Reservoir, on the border between Ro Negro and Neuqun, for US$700 million. The governments strategy consists of privatizing the companies to obtain the U.S. dollars it is in dire need of.