Abu Dhabi to build walk-through store in new Etihad terminal

John Rimmer

Print Article E-Mail Article E-Mail Author

Abu Dhabi Duty Free has completed a design brief for retail in the new facility, which will double its total duty-free space when completed in December 2006

Abu Dhabi Duty Free (ADDF) has completed the retail design brief for Abu Dhabi International airport's new terminal three, scheduled to become operational by the end of 2006. The new facility, for the exclusive use of UAE national carrier Etihad, will be the third new terminal to be built at Abu Dhabi in little over a year, following the opening of the airport's T2 and Gulf Traveller terminals in August.

The Etihad terminal will contain 2,750sq m (29,590sq ft) of retail, doubling ADDF's space at the airport. The store will feature a walk-through design ensuring 100% footfall, ADDF deputy managing director Dan Cappell confirmed. The terminal will provide the capacity to cater for Etihad's rapid growth until a new airport at Abu Dhabi opens in 2010.

"By December 2006 we will have four terminals, whereas a few months ago we had only one," said Cappell. "Over the next 10 years Abu Dhabi has the potential to become one of the most exciting airport developments in the world. From about 5.7m passengers this year, we are expected to reach 10m by 2010, which is very aggressive growth."

This week a number of airlines, including Air India, are due to complete their switch to Abu Dhabi's new T2, where ADDF recently opened an 850sq m (9,150sq ft) store in departures plus a 150sq m (1,615sq ft) arrivals outlet. Most of the airlines in T2 will serve routes to the Indian sub-continent, while Abu Dhabi's main terminal will serve an increasingly diverse passenger profile. Etihad will serve a number of new destinations from Abu Dhabi, including Brussels, Johannesburg and Toronto, with services to Shanghai and Manila scheduled to begin soon.

"We're conducting a benchmarking study on pricing, promotions and merchandising at Etihad's destination airports," said Cappell. "We'll use that to help us with our plans for the new terminal. The number of ABC travellers in our overall mix is increasing and we will be able to sell more premium items. Part of the design brief for the Etihad terminal is to make room for luxury brands, but we've yet to decide whether we do that as stand-alone boutiques or shop-in-shops. We're in discussions with a number of top brands, all of whom are interested."

For more on ADDF, look out for the Middle East report in the December 1 issue of DFNI.