Bahrain airport joint venture to boost retail and catering spaces

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A new partnership at Bahrain international airport will add 1,500sq m of commercial space to the facility by Autumn next year

Bahrain Duty Free and Bahrain Airport Services today gained approval from the civil aviation authorities to begin planning an extensive renovation of airside retail and catering areas, which will add around 1,500sq m (16,140sq ft) to the departures terminal at Bahrain International airport.

Bahrain Airport Services handles catering at the airport, while Bahrain Duty Free handles the airport's retail business.

Aer Rianta International-Middle East managing director John Sutcliffe told TRW: ?This morning we gained approval to jointly plan a big renovation of the terminal interior, including additional facilities. The catering areas could be expanded by up to 1,000sq m (10,080sq ft), and there will be new specialist retail shops dotted around the terminal, with up to 500sq m (5,380sq ft) of new spaces.? Among the areas that will be given a new focus is the music shop, which Sutcliffe said hadn't performed well enough. This will be moved into a proposed new food court while the airport bookshop will also be moved. The Bally shop in departures will be moved into the main departures shop.

?The walkway that runs through the main departures lounge will continue into the new food court, with pockets of shops placed closer to the gates,? he added. ?We still have to plan the project fully, but we hope to begin work in April 2004, and finish by the autumn.?

Bahrain Duty Free's new arrivals shop will open in the next few days, in time for the Eid holiday, which begins on Tuesday. The operator has doubled space to around 220sq m (2,367sq ft).