Turkish duty free and travel retailer, ATÜ Duty Free, has signed a 10-year contract to manage and run the DF&TR and food and beverage concessions at the New Salalah Airport, which currently handles less 747,000 passengers annually.

 

This week, Chairman of Oman Airports Management Company (OAMC), Dr Juma Ali Al Juma (right in picture) and ATÜ General Manager Ersan Arcan (left) signed the contract which, according to Sheikh Samer Ahmed Al Nabhani, General Manager of Commercial Operations at OAMC, “will hopefully be followed by other agreements in the coming period”. ATÜ also recently extended its operations in Tunisia.

 

Commenting on the selection process, Al Nabhani, emphasised the weight placed on the fact that ATÜ is partnered with Gebr. Heinemann [via ATÜ’s 50% joint venture owner Unifree], adding: “We focused on technical aspects which accounted for 70% of the evaluation. The Turkish company offered to us various options, especially with regard to designs and forms of shops, restaurants and lounges.”

 

ATÜ’s Arcan says: “We put great emphasis on understanding the needs and expectations of customers and conduct continuous research and data analysis in this regard. This information is converted into ‘tailor-made’ retail models.”

 

OTHER CONCESSIONS

OAMC’s recent tenders have been issued with the aim of attracting specialised international companies to the country’s main two airports. Al Nabhani says that OAMC has also completed the concession analysis of offers for car rental, money exchange, passenger lounges and other complementary services, and that a contract is expected to be signed soon.

 

OAMC says that Salalah – the Sultanate of Oman’s second gateway after Muscat – is experiencing significant growth in its tourism and that spending per passenger is increasing. Salim Awad Al Yafei, General Manager of Salalah Airport claims the gateway’s more than 20 international flights per week will likely increase to 23 and that, as more hotel rooms are made available in Oman, more tourist flights will come to the southern airport.