AIRPORT HOSPITALITY WORLD ROUND-UP
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31 January
PAKISTAN. Pakistan’s third busiest airport, Lahore’s Allama Iqbal International, has opened its newly upgraded State Lounge.
The 13,000sq ft facility, redesigned by Lahore-based Estetica Design Studio on behalf of the Pakistan Aviation Authority, was officially inaugurated in January by former Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif.
According to Estetica Design Studio, the renewed State Lounge’s interior design is defined by “refined material textures, carefully considered lighting and a sequence of well-detailed spaces”, intended to elevate the passenger experience for VIPs, diplomats and other “special travellers”.
The project follows the recent revamp of the equivalent facility at Jinnah International in Karachi, Pakistan’s leading airport, as the Pakistan Aviation Authority continues its mission to bring its key airport facilities up to leading international standards.
TÜRKIYE. MILE·ON·AIR has opened the MILE·ON·AIR Business Lounge at iGA Istanbul Airport, which it said reinforces its ambitions in the global premium airport services sector.
Located airside on the first floor and positioned at the heart of the terminal, the MILE·ON·AIR Lounge has a capacity of 58 guests.
Guests are offered a buffet featuring gourmet snacks alongside a welcome drink, with a beverage selection that includes traditional Turkish tea, a full range of hot and soft drinks, and an extensive choice of alcoholic beverages served from a staffed bar.
29 January
INDIA. Bangalore International Airport Limited has launched Care by BLR, a platform providing personalised passenger support services at Kempegowda International Airport Bengaluru.
Reinforcing its commitment to passenger experience, the initiative is designed to enhance the traveller experience across the airport.
Offered in terminals 1 and 2, the platform provides Meet & Assist, Porter and Luggage services, Valet Parking, Luxury Limousine, Arrival Lounge access and Flower Services, available across departures, arrivals and transit.
Full story here.
UK. Birmingham Airport has unveiled plans to introduce three new food & beverage outlets and a new executive lounge as part of its ongoing terminal transformation programme.
The airport company said the lounge will support its expanding business travel passenger segment.
Full story here.
26 January
ITALY. Global airport hospitality services provider Plaza Premium Group (PPG) has unveiled its First lounge concept at Leonardo da Vinci Rome Fiumicino Airport, marking the brand’s European debut.
Full story here.
23 January
TÜRKIYE/INTERNATIONAL. TAV Operation Services has advanced its global learning and development strategy through a strategic collaboration with Atelier CX, the consulting division of Forbes Travel Guide.
The company, part of TAV Airports and Groupe ADP, said the new partnership reinforces its focus on service excellence across premium airport hospitality operations worldwide.
Full story here.
22 January
INTERNATIONAL. Collinson-owned airport experiences programme Priority Pass has highlighted rising demand for sports and wellness-led travel, based on a study of 12,000 travellers across 20 markets.
The report, From Stadiums to Spas: Unlocking the Explosive Growth of Sports and Wellness Travel, examines how these two segments are shaping the future of travel.
Full story here.
16 January
SOUTH KOREA. Korean Air has this week unveiled its newly renovated Prestige East Lounge at Incheon International Airport Terminal 2. The 1,553sq m space offers 192 seats.
Amenities include a buffet and live cooking stations, dining zones, a bar, shower facilities and dedicated work-friendly areas aimed at business travellers.
Korean Air has also introduced a series of experiential zones intended to broaden the lounge’s appeal across demographics.
These include a Ramyeon Library, a self-service concept allowing passengers to customise and prepare instant noodles via automated machines (pictured below), which Korean noted reflects the global appeal of K-Food.
Digital integration underpins the lounge operation. Real-time crowd monitoring is displayed across the airline’s digital platforms, and a mobile queuing system alerts guests when seating becomes available during peak periods.
The lounge is part of a multi-phase renewal. Korean Air completed the first phase in August 2025 with the reopening of the Miler Club, a second Prestige East Lounge and two Prestige Garden lounges.
Renovations of the First Class Lounge and Prestige West Lounge are due to conclude in the first half of this year.
Once complete, Korean Air’s total lounge footprint in Terminal 2 will expand from 5,105sq m to 12,270sq m, with seating capacity rising from 898 to 1,566.
15 January
HONG KONG, CHINA. Premium lounge brand Kyra, a partnership between Airport Dimensions, SSP and Travel Food Services, has expanded its footprint with a second space at Hong Kong International Airport.
Located in the Terminal 1 West Hall near Gate 40, the 1,200sq m lounge offers seating for 230 guests along with a variety of dining, relaxation and work-friendly areas.
Full story and more images here.
14 January
INDIA. Travel dining and hospitality specialist Travel Food Services has unveiled an expanded dining offer and a passenger lounge at Kochi’s Cochin International Airport Domestic Terminal.
Full story here.
INTERNATIONAL. TAV Operation Services has been awarded multiple 5-Star and 4-Star ratings in the 2025 Skytrax Airline Lounge Star Ratings, underlining the strength of its global lounge portfolio.
The ratings successes include several lounges across the company’s Extime and Primeclass brands, as well as the Capital One Lounge at New York John F. Kennedy International Airport, which it operates.
Full story here.
11 January
CHINA. Global Lounge Network has opened its second airport lounge in China following the inauguration of The Lounge at Beijing Daxing International Airport.
The company said in a LinkedIn post: “We are delighted to be collaborating with CHUM on this project and look forward to welcoming travellers to experience comfort and hospitality at The Lounge. This new opening marks an exciting milestone in our continued growth across Asia.”
Miami-headquartered Global Lounge Network’s other lounge in China is at Xianyang International Airport in Shaanxi province.
This is one of more than 60 lounges operated by the company in airports across Europe, Asia and North and South America.
USA. Hawaiian Airlines, part of Alaska Airlines, has unveiled an investment plan of more than US$600 million over five years “to comprehensively enhance the experience for guests traveling to, from and within the [Hawaiian] islands”.
At Honolulu’s Daniel K. Inouye International Airport, Hawaiian’s busiest hub, the airline revealed part of that commitment will see it build a 10,600sq ft premium lounge at the entrance to the Mauka Concourse in Terminal 1.
It pledged the facility will “set a new standard of preflight comfort”.
8 January
INDONESIA. Travel experiences company Airport Dimensions has unveiled the Blue Sky Premier Lounge at Soekarno Hatta International Airport in Jakarta.
The investment follows its acquisition of a 45% stake in PT Bumi Liputan Angkasa, a subsidiary of Indonesia’s Blue Sky Group, last year.
Full story and more images here.
7 January
VIETNAM. Travel experiences company Airport Dimensions, in partnership with Vietnam’s airport commercial services provider SASCO, has reopened the Rose Business Lounge Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City.
Full story and more images here.
6 January
USA. Capital One has announced plans to open its largest-ever lounge (14,000sq ft) on the mezzanine level at Charlotte Douglas International Concourse A.
The facility will feature expansive airfield views, regionally inspired food & beverage, a full-service coffee bar and dedicated workspaces.
4 January
GERMANY. Lufthansa has reopened its modernised lounge at Stuttgart Airport following an extensive renovation project.
The redesigned lounge complex has been divided into two distinct areas, the Business Lounge and the Senator Lounge, each tailored to different passenger needs and accessed via an automated digital entry system.
Both lounges feature multiple zones for working, dining, relaxation and private use, alongside a refreshed food & beverage offer and a selection of newspapers and magazines.
Seating concepts range from work-focused areas to quiet retreat spaces, reflecting Lufthansa’s continued emphasis on functional zoning and passenger choice in its ground product.
The Senator Lounge includes a barista coffee bar serving freshly prepared coffee using beans from a local roaster.
Lufthansa noted the design of both lounges combines Lufthansa’s brand identity with local Stuttgart references, guided by what the airline describes as the principles of “dynamic, industrial, and mobile”. These elements are reflected in the materials, spatial layout and architectural detailing.
Lufthansa Hub Manager Munich & CCO Heiko Reitz said: “Many status guests sorely missed ‘their lounge’ in Stuttgart during the closure. I am therefore all the more delighted that we can finally reopen after extensive renovation and with a new concept.” ✈
Read the June Airport Hospitality World column here.
Read the July Airport Hospitality World column here.
Read the August Airport Hospitality World column here.
Read the September Airport Hospitality World column here.
Read the October Airport Hospitality World column here.
Read the November Airport Hospitality World column here.
Read the December Airport Hospitality World column here.
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The Moodie Davitt Report is delighted to announce Airport Hospitality World, the latest edition to its wide-ranging, market-leading travel retail and airport non-aeronautical revenues publishing and event portfolio. Airport Hospitality World covers all forms of airport lounges across international and domestic terminals, including various definitions as follows:
Plus other hospitality-related platforms:
Excitingly, the long-established Airport Food & Beverage (FAB) + Hospitality Conference & Awards will embrace Airport Hospitality World from the 2026 edition – the event’s 15th anniversary. The event will take on an extended form, featuring an exhibition and the ultimate one-stop airport hospitality and food & beverage conference and awards platform. |
