Turkish airport operator TAV, which runs Istanbul's Ataturk Airport, won a tender in Macedonia to operate two major airports of the country, the company said on Thursday.

TAV, the sole bidder in the tender, will modernize and operate Skopje Alexander the Great Airport and Ohrid St. Paul the Apostle Airport for 20 years. TAV will also build an airport in Stip for cargo transportation.

TAV plans to invest 200 million euros for modernization and construction works of the three airports.

CEO Sani Sener said TAV company would operate an airport in Europe for the first time. Sener said this tender would open the gates of Europe for his company.

TAV runs three major airports in Turkey; Ataturk Airport in Istanbul, Esenboga Airport in Ankara, Adnan Menderes Airport in Izmir, as well as Tblisi and Batumi airports in Georgia and Monastir Habib Bourguiba Airport in Tunisia. TAV also won two other tenders recently to operate GaziPasa Airport in Turkish resort province of Antalya and Enfidha Zine Abidine Ben Ali International Airport in Tunisia.

AA