Madeira Airport owner ANA Aeroportos has completed its €11m ($12.3m) 1,800sq m terminal expansion, which includes a modern new renovated commercial area designed to improve the overall passenger experience and increase revenues – including an additional 32% airside sales growth target.

 

Besides creating around 70 new jobs, the transformation of the airport terminal area includes a smart and newly expanded 800sq m walk-through shop – more than double the previous 350sq m – plus the relocation, expansion and improvement of specialist shops and restaurants. The expansion is also timely considering total passenger traffic last year set a new record of 2.7m – up 6.3% on 2014.

 

THEMATIC RETAIL DESIGNS

Meanwhile, the walk-through and other new stores also include many design features aimed at reflecting the island’s character, such as the use of colourful flowers, local costumes and images depicting the local lifestyle.

 

Airport management also points to new 200sq m Portfolio store as one of the highlights of the new retail offer, specialising in ‘made of Portugal’ produce. This outlet and several others are now located in specialised retail areas, alongside new terminal feature design concepts, including an outdoor terrace looking out onto the runway and surrounding sea.

 

 

The Portfolio Store in particular comprises pine wood ceilings and ceramic tile (azulejos) finishes reflecting Madeira pattern fabrics and cork are just some of the details incorporated into this new retail space – the second created under this brand name concept.

 

ANA Aeroportos says the Portfolio Store is now full of merchandise, which ‘lives and breathes’ authenticity, originality, creativity and innovation in relation to Portuguese produce, while reflecting the experiences and emotions of the country through culture, fashion, flavours, crafts and design. ANA Aeroportos created this new concept and has since employed AREAS with the operational concession management.

 

CENTRAL RETAIL WALK-THROUGH FOCUS

Meanwhile, ANA says that the walk-through store operated by Dufry incorporates an easily accessible circular design ‘without repercussions for the operational dynamics of the airport’, highlighting various product areas in the store, including national and international offerings.

 

This store is also designed to create ‘a distinctive commercial atmosphere’ as the passengers’ first point of contact with the new shops, with a ‘unique and distinctive image’ also provided for the ‘Taste Madeira’ space.

 

 

Other stores include Travel & Business Gate featuring Rimowa, Tumi, Victorinox and Samsonite and Fashion Gate, incorporating fashion brands Desigual, Pepe Jeans, Diesel, Butterfly, Lambretta and others.

 

At the same time, a Sunglass Hut offer includes brands from Ray Ban, Persol and Oakley, while Attitude is a premium segment multi-brand store offering brands which include Boss, Guess, Tommy Hilfiger, SuperDry and Swarovski.

 

SPECIALIST STORE DIMENSION

The ‘Football Gate’ areas have also been created for all those who enjoy sport, including products associated with football, running and motorsport – plus accessories, gadgets and merchandise from various European football clubs. Meanwhile, Gifts to Go is a children’s store featuring toys and games.

 

Last, but not least there is a Relay store, while Parfois is described as the most prestigious brand of fashion accessories of Portuguese origin, while Chocolate Lounge is said to be ‘dedicated’ to the finest brands of chocolate in the world, namely Godiva, Neuhaus, Valrhona, Arcádia, Villars, Leónidas, Goldkenn and others.

 

 

In addition, Sweet Colors is a shop offering jelly sweets, gum, chocolates, caramels, biscuits, cookies, and themed presents for all ages.

 

The commercial retail area is complemented by the level 3 food court which has been remodelled into concepts, including Specially, Cockpit, Pizza Hut and Buondi. ANA says this offers passengers ‘an ideal place to stop, with an increased range of food on offer and a unique view over the sea and the runway from the outdoor terrace’.

 

NEW STORE OPENINGS ALSO IMMINENT

Level 2 also offers more in the departure lounges, including the Buondi café in the non-Schengen area, plus a Specially unit in the Schengen departure lounge looking over a view of the sea. Gelati di Chef is also new, offering ice cream and frozen desserts along with traditionally-made cookies and cones.

 

ANA says that new stores that will open soon include Ale-Hop and Pandora with the former offering accessories and gadgets and the latter representing the first standalone jewellery store to be operated by the brand on Madeira.

 

 

Following all of these changes, ANA has also introduced operational improvements, including ‘strengthening and re-profiling the runway and increasing its usable area by 1,500sq m, while also providing seven new passenger and hand baggage screening lines to speed up passenger processing by an estimated 83%.

 

The airport company claims that it is now possible to process 1,400 people an hour in the terminal, when previously this figure was just 720 and in commercial terms it is confident that the aforementioned improvements and investment will deliver additional airside sales growth of 32%.

 

Other major improvements at the airport representing around 60% of the aforementioned total investment include an increase in the passenger screening area from 650sq m to 1,500sq m; a doubling of the waiting and passport verification area; a new variable departure lounge configuration allowing areas assigned for Schengen and non-Schengen flights to be altered easily to match the daily traffic profile; the creation of a transfer hall; provision of three more departure gates (one Schengen and two non-Schengen); and the strengthening and re-profiling of paving on runways, taxiways and surrounding areas. These improvements represent around 60% of the total investment made.

 

The opening ceremony was attended by his Excellency, the President of the Regional Government of Madeira. Various images of the ceremony are shown below: