MONTERREY, Mexico, April 28, 2008 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Grupo Aeroportuario del Centro Norte, known as OMA, provided an outlook for 2008 as part of its first quarter 2008 earnings conference call today. The Company expects full year passenger traffic to increase between 6 and 10%, as compared to 2007, and expects revenue growth to be similar to the increase in traffic.
The Company noted that a number of factors has increased uncertainty with respect to rates of growth of traffic and revenues in 2008; these included the extent and duration of a U.S. economic recession and the spillover effects on Mexico's economy; the impact on airlines of high fuel costs and delays in the delivery of new airplanes; changes in airline business strategies; and the impact on international tourist traffic of competition with other tourist destinations.
OMA expects to make capital expenditures above 2007 levels. Investments will include committed investments under its Master Development Plan and in addition strategic investments that take advantage of opportunities in the market and that seek to ensure its long term growth. A portion of these investments are expected to be financed with debt.
The webcast of the first quarter 2008 earnings conference call during which the 2008 outlook was discussed is available on OMA's investor relations page, http://ir.oma.aero.
OMA assumes no obligation to update or correct the information in this press release.
About OMA
Grupo Aeroportuario del Centro Norte, S.A.B. de C.V., known as OMA, operates 13 international airports in nine states of central and northern Mexico. OMA's airports serve Monterrey, Mexico's third largest metropolitan area, the tourist destinations of Acapulco, Mazatlan, and Zihuatanejo, and nine other regional centers and border cities. OMA employs over 900 persons in order to offer passengers and clients, airport and commercial services in facilities that comply with all applicable international safety, security standards, and ISO 9001:2000. OMA's strategic shareholder members are ICA, Mexico's largest engineering, procurement, and construction company, and Aeroports de Paris Management, subsidiary of Aeroports de Paris, the second largest European airports operator. OMA is listed on the Mexican Stock Exchange (OMA) and on the NASDAQ Global Select Market (OMAB). Please visit our website, www.oma.aero.
This press release may contain forward-looking information and statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts. These statements are only predictions based on our current expectations and projections about future events. Forward-looking statements may be identified by the words "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "target," or similar expressions. While OMA's management believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, investors are cautioned that forward-looking information and statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties, many of which are difficult to predict and are generally beyond the control of OMA, that could cause actual results and developments to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied or projected by, the forward-looking information and statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, those discussed in our most recent annual report filed on Form 20-F under the caption "Risk Factors." OMA undertakes no obligation to publicly update its forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.