Air Europa and the SkyTeam Alliance of airlines, have set up a new hub at the Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport, which now makes it the ‘main gateway between Europe and Latin America’, says Spanish airports operator, AENA.

 

International flights will arrive and depart through T1, while domestic and Schengen flights will use terminals T2 and T3. “These three terminals will be transformed into a strategic platform for those airlines that demand agility, comfort and safety in their operations,” adds AENA.

 

In order to meet the growing demands of airlines Air Europa and SkyTeam, AENA is introducing a range of new facilities at the Adolfo Suarez Madrid-Barajas Airport, which reportedly supplies between €17.5bn and €19bn (9.3%-10.2%) of the region’s GDP.

 

Air Europa is the airline division of Globalia, Spain’s ‘largest tourism group’. A full member of the SkyTeam Alliance, in 2013 Air Europa carried nearly 10m passengers to some fifty destinations throughout the world. Its strategy is to position itself as the leading airline connecting Europe with Latin America through its Madrid hub.

 

The opening of connections corridors between terminals, as well as new customs and security checkpoints will allow transfer passengers arriving at the T1 Terminal from non-Schengen countries to walk directly to their connecting Schengen-area flights in the T2 and T3 terminals.

 

AENA is confident that the new T123 hub configuration of the airport will allow for greater exposure of its retail and F&B portfolio. All three, now connected terminals, have adapted their commercial offering to meet the demands of its connecting passengers.

 

The ‘hub’ airport boasts over 18,500sq m of commercial space, an additional 5,000sq m have been added since 2012, with a total of 70 outlets, 20 of them run by the Areas. T123 now houses 50 stores, including 13 duty-free stores run by the World Duty Free Group (WDFG) (these occupy 2,200sq m).

 

Commercial space surrounding the new security checkpoints in T3 comprises 34 stores, 13 duty-free shops and two high-end luxury stores.

 

The airport’s boutiques and brands include: Carolina Herrera, Adolfo Domínguez, Macson, El Corte Inglés, Accesorize, Casas, Tascón, Adidas, Multiópticas Ramiro, Óptica Cottet, Parfois, SweetMarket and Mama Framboise.

 

The two Aelia-operated luxury boutiques consist of over 1,100sq m and feature brands such as Swarovski, Boss, Bimba y Lola, Armani Jeans, Lacoste, Desigual and Majorica.

 

‘Madrid Duty Free’ store operated by World Duty Free Group.

 

The opening of new security checkpoints at T3 will also allow passengers with carry-on bags and a boarding card to proceed from the metro or the P2 parking building to the boarding area in just a few minutes.

 

“More stands for long-haul aircraft, inkeeping with the airlines’ fleets, means more convenience for passengers and smoother operations for airlines,” says AENA. “During day-to-day operations, stands are assigned to the fleet of aircraft with the largest wingspan.”