Frankfurt, Moscow Airports to Cooperate

Fraport, the company that operates Frankfurt airport, could soon take over the running of Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport, the weekly newsmagazine Der Spiegel reported Thursday, quoting sources close to Fraport chief Wilhelm Bender. Under Fraport's management, passenger processing at Sheremetyevo would be improved, the magazine said in a pre-release of an article to be published on Friday. Negotiators for the two sides had agreed the cooperation on the sidelines of a recent meeting between German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder and Russian President Vladimir Putin shortly before Christmas, Der Spiegel said. Detailed cooperation talks were set to begin in January. If the cooperation proves fruitful, Fraport could also act as an advisor to other Moscow airports, the magazine said. Earlier this month, Fraport announced it had won a contract to manage Cairo Airport in Egypt for a period of eight years.