Now, just two weeks before the long-awaited announcement, the government is considering canceling the bidding process for a 99.97 percent stake in the company, which includes an aircraft-manufacturing plant and an airport.

Transportation Minister Aleš Řebíček said Oct. 6 that he is writing a proposal for a new tender that would effectively split the company in two.

Should the Cabinet halt the Aero Vodochody privatization, the Vodochody airport could be sold to Letiště Praha, the company that operates Ruzyně Airport, Řebíček said. The aircraft manufacturing plant could then be sold to a different company.

Řebíček said that Letiště Praha's acquisition of the airport would increase the potential yield of the Ruzyně privatization, a project that is planned to take place in the next two years.

Oakfield — a subsidiary of the Penta investment group — was the highest bidder in the tender, offering 2.91 billion Kč ($130 million).

Under the tender's original conditions, the company comes with government bonds worth about 10 billion Kč. Řebíček said that there was a threat that the new owner would ask the cash-strapped government to pay out those claims in the near future.

"I cannot imagine that we would sell the aircraft manufacturing plant, the airport and the 10 billion Kč claims for 2.9 billion Kč, only to be forced to pay that 10 billion Kč half a year from now," Řebíček said.

Most of the bidders, including Oakfield, admitted that they were particularly interested in the Vodochody airport, which is 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) north of Prague. Some ministers are worried that Aero Vodochody's sale would halt aircraft production in Vodochody, as a new owner would likely focus on developing a new international airport there.

Industry and Trade Minister Martin Říman suggested in late September that the airport and the aircraft plant be sold separately.

Still, there are voices against canceling the tender.

The senior-opposition Social Democratic Party, as well as Finance Minister Vlastimil Tlustý, insist that Aero Vodochody should be privatized as soon as possible so that the company can avoid bankruptcy.