Decision on Vienna Skylink retail tender delayed

Nicole Mezzasalma

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Talks with shortlisted companies are continuing and should take another four to six weeks, according to the airport

Flughafen Wien (Vienna Airport) Group has revealed that the strong response to the tender for retail space at Vienna International airport’s new Skylink terminal has delayed the process.

Vienna head of centre management Franz Svoboda told Ravenfox.com: “We still have not awarded the duty-free operator. We tried hard to keep our schedule in 2007 but the concepts sent to us by the candidates were too extensive to make a thorough decision on time. We expect to need another four to six weeks to finish talks with the shortlisted parties.”

Most of the 300 companies to which the airport sent tender documents returned submissions, according to Svoboda. Incumbents Gebr Heinemann, The Nuance Group and a partnership between Aer Rianta International and Sardana Group were among the companies to table bids for the main duty-free concessions.

The new terminal is expected to open at the end of 2008 or the beginning of 2009 and will include 10,000sq m (107,600sq ft) of commercial space. It will serve Schengen and non-Schengen passenger traffic on two separate levels and house 1,400sq m (15,065sq ft) of retail space landside and a further 4,400sq m (47,345sq ft) airside. About 2,900sq m (31,205sq ft) of space will be dedicated to food and beverage outlets (1,800sq m/19,370sq ft landside and 1,100sq m/11,835sq ft airside). It will be the main terminal for flag carrier Austrian Airlines.