Abu Dhabi Airports Company (Adac) has awarded contracts to two firms to operate the duty free section of the new Midfield Terminal Building, which is due to open in December 2017.
Aer Rianta International, a Dublin operator of duty free and airport retail outlets in Europe, Middle East, North America and New Zealand, will design and operate the section for perfumes, cosmetics, skincare, sunglasses and jewellery, Adac said.
Aer Rianta employs 3,500 people worldwide and last year had a managed turnover of about US$1.03 billion, according to its website, Lagardère Capital, a joint venture between the investment company Abu Dhabi Capital Group and the French travel retailer Lagardère Travel Retail, will operate the tobacco, confectionery, and fine foods outlets. Lagardère Travel Retail is part of the Lagardère group, a conglomerate that includes the publishing house behind Paris Match and Elle magazines, according to its website.
“We received several very strong bids for these contracts, but Aer Rianta International and Lagardère Capital came up with ideas that will set new benchmarks in airport retail,” said Ali Al Mansoori, the Adac chairman.
The Midfield Terminal complex will be 70 per cent complete by the end of this year, according to Mr Al Mansoori.
The terminal will have 28,000 square metres of commercial space.
Abu Dhabi International Airport is expected to experience a sharp jump next year, with passenger traffic this year growing to 24 million from last year’s 20 million.
The airport’s growth in passenger traffic is expected to continue through to the opening of the Midfield Terminal in 2017, when through traffic is expected to be 30 million.
Adac has projected that traffic at the expanded airport will grow to about 48 million passengers by 2025.
Growth in passenger numbers at Abu Dhabi International Airport has been helped by Etihad Airways’ steady increase of flights. The carrier launched its first service from the airport in 2003.
dalsaadi@thenational.ae
Follow The National's Business section on Twitter
Pakistan v New Zealand Test series
Pakistan: Sarfraz (c), Hafeez, Imam, Azhar, Sohail, Shafiq, Azam, Saad, Yasir, Asif, Abbas, Hassan, Afridi, Ashraf, Hamza
New Zealand: Williamson (c), Blundell, Boult, De Grandhomme, Henry, Latham, Nicholls, Ajaz, Raval, Sodhi, Somerville, Southee, Taylor, Wagner
Umpires: Bruce Oxerford (AUS) and Ian Gould (ENG); TV umpire: Paul Reiffel (AUS); Match referee: David Boon (AUS)
Tickets and schedule: Entry is free for all spectators. Gates open at 9am. Play commences at 10am
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, second leg
Roma 4
Milner (15' OG), Dzeko (52'), Nainggolan (86', 90 4')
Liverpool 2
Mane (9'), Wijnaldum (25')
Five expert hiking tips
Always check the weather forecast before setting off
Make sure you have plenty of water
Set off early to avoid sudden weather changes in the afternoon
Wear appropriate clothing and footwear
Take your litter home with you
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup – Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
Full Party in the Park line-up
2pm – Andreah
3pm – Supernovas
4.30pm – The Boxtones
5.30pm – Lighthouse Family
7pm – Step On DJs
8pm – Richard Ashcroft
9.30pm – Chris Wright
10pm – Fatboy Slim
11pm – Hollaphonic
Company: Instabug
Founded: 2013
Based: Egypt, Cairo
Sector: IT
Employees: 100
Stage: Series A
Investors: Flat6Labs, Accel, Y Combinator and angel investors
Glossary of a stock market revolution
Reddit
A discussion website
Redditor
The users of Reddit
Robinhood
A smartphone app for buying and selling shares
Short seller
Selling a stock today in the belief its price will fall in the future
Short squeeze
Traders forced to buy a stock they are shorting
Naked short
An illegal practice
