The Moodie Davitt Report President Dermot Davitt paid a recent visit to one of Europe’s most exciting travel retail destinations, Antalya International Airport, to discover a story of growth, investment, quality and high-spending travellers. We complete a three-part review of that visit in words, images and video with an interview with Fraport-TAV General Manager Dr Frank Quante. An interview with BTA Food and Services Group CEO Baha Bülbül appears here and our conversation with ATÜ Duty Free CEO Ersan Arcan can be found at this link. As reported, Antalya Airport will host the next edition of the Airport Food & Beverage (FAB) + Hospitality Conference and Awards on 3-4 June 2027.
TÜRKİYE. With 39.1 million passengers served in 2025, Antalya International is Türkiye’s second-busiest airport and – following an expansion of the impressive Terminal 2 in 2025 – one that features a combined 33,000sq m of commercial space.
Managed by a joint venture between TAV Airports and Fraport since 2018, the size and quality of retail, dining and lounges have been taken to an entirely new level today, with anchor partners BTA (though a JV with the airport) and ATÜ Duty Free continuing to evolve their offers across food & beverage and shopping, respectively.
And there is much more to follow. The €850 million expansion completed last year marks phase one of a project to upgrade the airport, which now has annual capacity for 65 million passengers.
Click on the video link for part one of our conversation with Dr. Frank Quante; part two appears below.
A further phase to develop a new international terminal will begin in 2038. Once all phases are complete, capacity will reach over 80 million passengers under the airport consortium’s long-term agreement to 2052.
Fraport TAV Antalya Terminal Management General Manager (GM) Dr Frank Quante (who shares the role with fellow GM Deniz Varol) says the soaring popularity of Antalya is connected to the ‘wow effect’ this destination has on tourists from many parts of the world.
He makes the case that Antalya is among the best-known ‘brands’ of Türkiye and one of the top ten most visited tourism resort destinations worldwide.
And the drawcard that Antalya has become represents, he adds, “a great achievement of the region, the government and the entrepreneurial spirit of Türkiye”.
The latest phase of development, which expanded the operational space at the airport from 220,000sq m to around 440,000sq m, was a signature project in Antalya Airport’s development, one that hinged on the close cooperation between Fraport and TAV Airports, a member of Groupe ADP, plus their partners.
“The team focused very much on the commercial experience to create our 12,000sq m marketplace. And in the end, [we sought] the best solution for the passenger.”
The partnership for F&B is an intriguing one. Last year BTA (owned by TAV Airports) struck a JV with Fraport Group to manage the dining outlets at Antalya Airport. TAV Airports-led BTA holds a 60% stake in the BFA joint venture, with Fraport holding the balance.
The major outlets include BTA brands such as Cakes&Bakes, Enzo, Brewmark and Taste of Anatolia by Ömür Akkor, alongside new concepts created for Antalya Airport including Flute, Sherefe, Mangia and Sweetie Treats.
The company supplies food & beverage services in three lounges: the Premium Lounge, Elite Lounge and Arrival Lounge.
Dr Quante says, “In F&B we have a very attractive mix of international and own brands developed at a top level.”
He adds: “In retail, my view is that the psychology of brands is to open people up to your brand and the [ATÜ Duty Free] team here is fine-tuning this. Effort, ambition and experience are the ingredients that make this possible.”
Another key strand of commercial business is lounges, with three tiers – Comfort, Elite and Premium – all offered at the airport.
Explaining this diversity, Dr Quante says: “All three offer a form of exclusivity. In travel now, we see very different needs and people make very personal decisions. Comfort is affordable and taken up even by people flying by low-cost carrier.
“Elite continues the top-class hotel experience they may have had in Antalya. In Premium you have many functions but all in it is the result of Turkish hospitality. The person is buying an emotion which for me is most important. And that hospitality is in the Turkish DNA.”
The highest tier also connects travellers with the tourism experiences they have enjoyed on their visit via relationships with top-end tourism providers such as five-star hotels and resorts.
“This is where the world changes and how countries want to participate in the business side of tourism. Each destination has to reinvent itself. This need is even higher for Türkiye given currency challenges and rising prices in its core markets.
“With the wider range of country markets we approach today, positioning ourselves as a gateway is key. Türkiye is doing an excellent job in its positioning. The tourism sector has found a way to diversify for everyone so all can find a vacation they are looking for.”
The airport operator connects the dots between the experts that perform the various commercial services in its eco-system, with Dr Quante aptly describing its role not simply as manager but akin to that of a mayor.
“Our role as the airport operator is to orchestrate the overall product and the whole eco-system. And people feel this mix of contributions is valuable. The challenge of this century is to handle complexity. It is not only commercial complexity but an environment where regulation is dynamic. You have to have a team attitude.”
On the next steps for development, the path ahead is clear. Building on the 12,000sq m airside marketplace introduced in 2025, a further 18,000sq m will be developed for next year, “so we can match the experience we have in T2 today across the airport”.
Other challenges include how to alleviate the travel bottlenecks of coming and going to the airport at busy times, which the airport operator is talking with local authorities.
“There are many corridors to optimise how you handle processes with AI, sensor technology and we will continue this. It’s not only about investment but how you process within your investment.”
In closing, Dr Quante also offers a lovely summary of what Antalya should represent in the minds of its guests, now and in future.
“First, Antalya should be a corridor of experiences, all at a level where our passengers say, ‘this was great’.
“For many people taking an aircraft is still special and I am an ambassador of the magic of airports and flying; it should be an experience.
“Then there is the spirit of Antalya, which is really a magical place. We are working on bringing that spirit into the airport.” ✈
