Korhan Öz, CEO, Unifree Duty Free.

Since the pandemic, Istanbul Airport has risen up ACI World’s world’s busiest airports rankings fast – and retail has boomed. We talk to the CEO of Unifree Duty Free, the Turkish gateway’s duty-free operator. 

Istanbul Airport (IST) has been in a bit of a holding pattern of late among the Top 10 busiest international hubs. In 2023 it ranked sixth, moved down to seventh in 2024, and last year moved up to sixth again, processing 66.6m passengers. However, this belies its underlying strength: total traffic has been booming and reached 88.44m last year, a whisker behind London Heathrow’s 88.48m.

Pre-pandemic, IST ranked 14th for international traffic and 28th for total traffic, indicating just how far it has come. Much of that leap has been due to Turkish Airlines’ relentless pursuit of new routes, positioning IST – operated by iGA (Istanbul Grand Airport) – as a global super hub. It competes with established Middle Eastern and European transit airports in latitudes below and above it.

The high-spending connecting passengers that use the airport have been of immense benefit to Unifree, the duty-free operator at IST – and the Turkish joint venture partner of Germany’s Gebr. Heinemann since 1999. For Heinemann, IST has been its strongest sales location since at least 2023 and the company is confident there is more to come from Türkiye, not least because Antalya Airport become Heinemann’s fourth biggest location for sales in 2025.

Heinemann’s Co-CEO, Raoul Spanger, says: “Türkiye is both a commercial and logistics powerhouse and IST is becoming a major hub for international flows.” In line with this, the company is set to open a new logistics centre in Istanbul.

Inken Callsen, Heinemann’s Chief Commercial Officer comments: “We are opening it next year to be closer to the market. This also means far less emissions.”

Chief Sales Officer Florian Seidel, adds: “The Istanbul hub will make a noticeable difference in speed and availability for Türkiye and the Middle East. For us, this is a true example of how commercial decisions and sales realities intersect: What starts as a strategic investment becomes an everyday performance edge.”

Unifree Duty Free is on the consumer coal face at Istanbul Airport. From its founding in 1975 by the Üstünkaya and Bilginer families, Unifree has grown substantially. As well as being the JV partner of Heinemann, since 1999 it also became the managing partner of ATÜ, which was established as a JV with TAV Airports. Today, Unifree is the sole duty-free operator at IST and also has operations at Dalaman and Kosovo airports, and Dereköy border crossing.

Below we speak to Korhan Öz, Unifree Duty Free’s CEO, about the current performance at IST, and what strategic plans are afoot.

Unifree is the sole duty-free operator at IST and also has operations at Dalaman and Kosovo airports, plus the Dereköy border crossing.

What has been new in retail in the past 12 months at IST?

Öz: Over the past year, we have enhanced the retail experience through a combination of digital innovation, brand activation and customer-centric services. Beyond refining our assortments and introducing new concepts, we focused on creating more engaging experiences.

One key development was the expansion of the Unifree x ME loyalty ecosystem which enables us to communicate with customers more effectively and provide personalised offers and omnichannel benefits. We also strengthened collaborations with global brands to deliver exclusive campaigns, experiential zones, and seasonal activations that increase engagement.

What else is driving passenger footfall and conversion?

IST’s position as a major international hub connecting east and west continues to drive passenger traffic. Combined with the airport’s diverse passenger mix and long dwell times, these factors create a favourable retail environment. Data-driven campaigns, and personalised communication are also contributing positively to footfall and conversion.

Unifree is the sole duty-free operator at IST and also has operations at Dalaman and Kosovo airports, plus the Dereköy border crossing.

Are the distances between gates problematic in terms of customers skipping the shops to get their connections – if so, how do you overcome this?

As one of the world’s largest airport terminals, IST naturally involves significant walking distances. However, we believe the critical factor is not the physical distance itself, but the traveller’s effective available shopping time, particularly for transfer passengers with tight connections.

To address this, our stores are strategically positioned along key passenger flows, while product selections and service models are tailored to facilitate quick and convenient purchases. Omnichannel solutions such as Click & Collect, mobile POS-equipped sales advisors who can complete transactions anywhere in the store, while self-checkouts enhance convenience.

We align checkout capacity and staffing with flight peaks. In addition, we continuously analyse passenger behaviour by connection time, gate zones, and flight banks, allowing us to optimise store locations, product assortment and operational capacity. Our objective is to make shopping an effortless and enjoyable part of the journey rather than an activity competing with passengers’ limited time.

Brand activations such as this one for Teremana, are helping to enhance the retail experience at IST.

Gulf hubs have lost traffic since March. Has this boosted IST, and is it reflected in retail sales?

Istanbul Airport’s geographical position and extensive connectivity reinforce its role as a leading transfer hubs. Recent shifts in traffic patterns across the region have enabled IST to capture part of the displaced traffic, although these changes are selective rather than representing a direct one-to-one transfer.

From a retail perspective, passenger volumes have been resilient and continue to support overall performance. However, increased traffic does not automatically translate into proportional growth in retail sales. Factors such as shorter dwell times, stronger gate-readiness behaviour, pre-spending at origin, and the evolving passenger mix all have an influence.

Therefore, our focus is not simply on traffic, but on understanding the passenger. We continuously monitor customer profiles and purchasing patterns and adapt accordingly. By leveraging data-driven insights, personalised engagement and omnichannel capabilities, we aim to convert IST’s connectivity advantage into sustainable retail growth over the long term.

Are you expecting another revenue rise in 2026, and how do you see 2027 panning out?

We remain optimistic about 2026. Supported by passenger growth, increasing digital engagement and customer expectations, there is still significant potential for travel retail. Our focus is not only on increasing revenue but also on delivering a more personalised and experience-driven proposition. Loyalty programmes, data-driven communication, omnichannel services, and collaborations with global brands all play an important role in our strategy. Looking ahead to 2027, we expect the travel retail industry to become more customer-centric. Unifree Duty Free is committed to ensuring that Istanbul Airport remains one of the most attractive retail destinations in global aviation. 

This feature first appeared in the July 2026 issue – please click here to read.

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