London-based The Design Solution has been appointed by Riyadh Airports Company (RAC) to carry out commercial planning as part of the major redevelopment program at Riyadh King Khalid International Airport (KKIA).
The contract is part of a long-term national program that will radically update the kingdom’s airports, including raising capacity and enhancing infrastructure at King Khalid International Airport. Pragma Consulting joins The Design Solution in advising on the commercial aspects of the project.
In 2016, The Design Solution was appointed by DAA International to carry out commercial planning and design of the new Terminal 5 at Riyadh, followed by the design of the walk-through travel value store. The first phase of this latest project involves renovations to Terminal 3, which has been closed since August last year, and Terminal 4, which has never been occupied, both of which are due for completion in 2020. The development will expand capacities, improve services and dramatically transform the commercial offer, with each terminal having a walk-through duty-free shop in addition to its own shops, cafés and restaurants.
The development of terminals 3 and 4 creates opportunities for adjustment to passenger operations across all the airport’s terminals, including the re-allocation of domestic and international passengers and a stronger commercial planning approach throughout. The planning includes a new centralized commercial area (post-security) between terminals 1 and 2, before passengers depart through either of the two terminals that will then act essentially as piers.
The Design Studio and Pragma Consulting have developed a classic commercial plan for terminals 3 and 4, creating a central heart in each terminal immediately after the walk-through duty-free stores. These feature unusually high shopfront zones where the concessionaires can maximize their impact.
“Designing the commercial layout in airports is always challenging, since it depends on intense analysis that aims at defining the perfect commercial offer while enhancing the passenger’s journey. The new design aims to enable KKIA to increase its commercial offering by 40% and enhance the passenger experience through an additional 25% of space allocated for passenger facilities,” said Abdulaziz Algoufi, commercial analytics manager at Riyadh Airports Company.
