Commercial

HOCHTIEF sells airports division

HOCHTIEF sells airports division

It was announced in May that a subsidiary of the Public Sector Pension Investment Board Canada (PSP Investments) had entered into a sale and purchase agreement for all shares in HOCHTIEF AirPort GmbH in a €1.1 billion transaction. Callum Tennent reports on the development.

Innovative training approaches

A number of innovative approaches are being taken to staff training in the airport food & beverage business, as Lee Sheldon, L&D Director, SSP Group, explained to Ross Falconer.

Commercial ingenuity and originality

ACI EUROPE’s 22nd Airport Trading Conference and Exhibition this year addresses ‘Collaboration and innovation to enhance the volume and quality of commercial opportunities for the passenger’, in recognition of the parts that profitable partnerships, creative concepts and cutting-edge technologies play in non-aeronautical airport operations. Amy Hanna highlights the latest innovations enhancing the passenger experience in the industry’s booming commercial sector.

Competition driving efficiency

The 5th annual ACI Economics & Finance Conference took place in Singapore on 6-8 March – the first time it has been held in the Asia-Pacific region. Held in partnership by ACI EUROPE, ACI World and ACI Asia-Pacific, the event was clearly focused on the question of what airports need to do in order to sustain and grow, in a world of increased pressures and correspondingly decreased certainty. Report by Ross Falconer & Donagh Cagney.

Engaging the air-travel consumer through technology and innovation

The 21st ACI EUROPE Airport Trading Conference & Exhibition, hosted by Oslo Airport, took place from 23 to 25 April. The event was attended by more than 350 delegates, highlighting the importance of commercial revenues to airports of all sizes. Airport retail is performing strongly, with global travel retail sales totalling US$46 billion (€37bn) in 2011 – up +17.9% on the previous year. Looking ahead, a further rise to annual sales of US$64 billion (€51bn) is expected in 2015. Indeed, retail remains the biggest source of non-aeronautical revenues for airports. ACI EUROPE figures show that commercial revenues have been resilient amid the global financial crisis, growing by +15% (€2.5 billion) in 2010.