Dufry has been awarded a new concession contract at Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport to operate a total of 3,900 m2 of duty-free and specialty shops until 2032.
The airport is the closest hub connecting Istanbul’s City Center with 137 international and 37 domestic destinations and ranks as the second busiest Turkish airport welcoming more than 35 million passengers per annum.
The new concession further consolidates Dufry’s footprint in Turkey, where it will now be operating in four locations.
Commenting on the new contract, Cengiz Iman, General Manager Turkey, said: “Dufry Group is proud to have been awarded this new important concession in Turkey. We will honor the trust given to us by our partners at Malaysia Airports Holding Berhad (MAHB) and Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport (ISG) by providing passengers of Sabiha Gökçen Airport with a state-of-the-art shopping experience.
This will be further evolved in the context of the opening of the new terminal where our shops will feature a completely new design, incorporating the latest digital technology and setting the scene for a vast assortment of renowned international and domestic brands.”
The new concession includes 2,800 m2 of duty-free retail space in the departure area as well as 1,100 m2 of shops at arrivals.
As per November 2020, Dufry will take over the 8 existing shops and upgrade the retail space to best serve customers in the current Terminal 1.
The attractive assortment will comprise the core travel retail categories such as liquor, tobacco, perfume and cosmetics as well as accessories and confectionery.
A refined selection of local food and souvenir brands, which will create an immersive sense of place showcasing Turkey’s cultural heritage and specialties, will further complete and enhance the shopping experience.
Sabiha Gökçen International Airport has accelerated the completion of the second runway by 2021 and the planned Terminal 2, with completion expected for 2024. Once fully operational the airport’s capacity will increase to 65 million passengers from today’s 41 million.
This will additionally extend Dufry’s footprint in Turkey where the company has been operating since 1993 and currently manages duty-free and specialty shops at Antalya Airport serving the famous tourist resorts lining the Mediterranean coast of Southern Turkey, Kayseri airport in the Cappadocia region as well as Zafer airport at Kütahya.
Ersel Goral, CEO of ISG says “As Sabiha Gökçen International Airport operator, duty-free is one of our most essential terminal services. With this new start up, we are initiating longlasting and trustful cooperation with Dufry, the world’s leading organization in the field of travel retail. Their global experience will be an important advantage for Sabiha Gökçen, Istanbul’s gateway to the world. We are very much excited that our partnership with Dufry will gain an even more distinctive aspect in our new terminal building, which we plan to open in 2024.“
