Mitsubishi Estate, Japan's leading developer, and ANA Holdings, Japan's largest carrier, have teamed up to bid for rights to operate facilities at Sendai Airport in northern Japan, sources with direct knowledge of the matter said. Japan earlier this year opened bidding for the right to manage the airport's runways and hangar facilities, as the nation tries to increase private investment in public infrastructure to cut its debt. Mitsubishi Corp, a leading trading firm, has also teamed up with internet mall operator Rakuten Inc to bid for the rights, a different person said. Mitsubishi would take a 75 percent stake in the entity that would own the airport operating rights, while Rakuten would own 25 percent, said the person. The people spoke on condition of anonymity because the bidding process is still on going. Mitsubishi Estate and Mitsubishi Corp officials declined to comment. Spokeswomen at ANA and Rakuten confirmed that the two companies were preparing to bid for the right. The group of Mitsubishi Estate and ANA also have general contractor Taisei Corp, Japan Airport Terminal Co , the operator of Tokyo's Haneda Airport, and Seidai-based broadcaster Sendai Television Inc as joint investors, the people said. Nikkei Business Daily, which broke the news earlier on Thursday, said contractor Maeda Corp, and railway operator Tokyu Corp were also among those bidding for the rights. The first round of bidding will close on Friday, according to Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. The winner will be chosen around August next year after the second round of bidding. The Sendai Airport, damaged by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami, serves the northeastern coastal region that was hit hard by that disaster and is now the centre of a reconstruction boom. (Reuters)