Vienna to launch Skylink tenders in March

Tina Milton

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Vienna International airport is to launch the duty-free, duty-paid and food and beverage tenders for the Skylink terminal in March this year.

Vienna International airport is preparing to launch the tender for duty-free and duty-paid retail space at the new Skylink terminal in March. The new terminal is expected to open at the end of 2008 or the beginning of 2009 and will include 10,000sq m (107,640sq ft) of commercial space. The terminal will serve Schengen and non-Schengen passenger traffic on two separate levels and house 5,800sq m (62,430sq ft) of retail space (1,400sq m/15,070sq ft landside and a further 4,4000sq m/47,360sq ft airside) and 2,900sq m (31,215sq ft) dedicated to food and beverage (1,800sq m/19,375 landside and 1,100sq m/11,840sq ft airside). It will be the main terminal for flag carrier Austrian Airlines.

Vienna head of centre management Franz Svoboda told Ravenfox.com :“We will invite our existing concessionaires and selected companies to send us their business plans but it will not be an open tender for international companies. We would like to make a decision by the end of the summer so that we have at least one year to finalise all the technical and building requirements.”

The Nuance Group, which already operates several speciality concessions in Vienna’s existing terminal, is likely to register interest in the bidding as is the Sardana Group of Companies, which represents several retail franchises at the airport and runs a variety of souvenir and gift outlets.

Svoboda said Vienna will change its retail offer in the current terminal after the Skylink terminal is completed as changes to centralised security will allow it the opportunity to reorganise retail operations. Non-aviation revenues account for about 25% of income at Vienna.