The London-based Design Solution headed by Managing Director Robbie Gill has won the retail planning contract for the new one million square-metre İGA Havalimanı İşletmesi A.Ş. (IGA) airport, where Gebr. Heinemann majority-owned Unifree holds the 25-year contract for all the airside retail space.

 

 

The new €10.2bn ($10.8bn) airport will initially have a capacity for 90m passengers a year, with ultimate capacity to handle 150m and is scheduled to replace Ataturk Airport to become the world’s largest airport facility under a single roof when it opens – scheduled for 2018.

 

 

As reported extensively already, Gebr. Heinemann will operate a total of 53,000sq m of space, which it expects will deliver an expected sales turnover of €1bn ($1bn) in the first full business year.

 

 

Commenting on the new appointment, Gill said: “It is both challenging and humbling to be working with the biggest new airport on the planet – a gateway to one of the world’s greatest and most unique cities.

 

 

 

“We are immensely proud to have been selected to support IGA’s astonishing vision where we can apply our extensive global experience to the project, including – most recently – the commercial planning of the new Midfield Terminal at Abu Dhabi, but the scale of Istanbul’s new airport adds an extraordinary new dimension to the challenge.

 

 

“IGA have a clear focus on creating what they describe as ‘the world’s best shopping environment in worldwide travel retail’, ranging from a new interpretation of contemporary luxury to a traditional bazaar concept, and we look forward to being part of delivering this unique and authentic vision.

 

 

“Istanbul itself provides a unique inspiration for how an authentic sense of place can be delivered, ensuring that every passenger enjoys the retail space to the full and also that they feel intrinsically connected to the city at the bridge of Asia and Europe.”

 

 

The Design Solution adds that the construction of the first four-phases of the project began last May, including a huge earthworks programme to provide a platform for the infrastructure which will cover 76 square kilometres and comprise six runways.

 

 

 

As The Design Solution points out, the company does bring huge airports design experience from the greater MEA region through a portfolio of other major airport projects, including projects at Muscat, Doha, Mumbai, Delhi, Malta, Salalah, Hyderabad, Bangalore and Antalya.

 

 

On the travel retail side of the business, the company also has a very good reputation, having worked with many other major travel retailers at several other locations, including both airports and downtown with the King Power International Group in Bangkok, Thailand, Valiram Luxury Fashion, Rolex and many other top companies.