Concession expansion back on track in Hawaii

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Plans for a 20% expansion of concession space in Honolulu International Airport are firmly back on track, TRW can exclusively reveal

The development plan, shelved last year after the September 11 terrorist attacks devastated the inbound Japanese travel market, will be put into operation in 2003.

Head-property management and land acquisition staff, David Shimokawa, told Travel Retailer International in an exclusive interview: "Discussions with concessionaires were inevitably delayed after September 11, but they are now back on. We are finalising a design for next year that will establish a new checkpoint to facilitate passenger processing and create about 20% more space in our main lobby for our concessions and customer services."

Meanwhile, the airport's master concessionaire DFS Group continues to challenge its $60m minimum annual guarantee payment.

• For the complete inside story on what's really happening in one of the world's pivotal travel-retail locations, see cover story, TRI October/November issue.