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The new smoking lounges carry visually striking designs and broad, open space |
DUBAI. Japan Tobacco International (JTI) and Dubai Airports, in partnership with JCDecaux, have inaugurated five smoking lounges across all three terminals at Dubai International. At 250sq m, the main lounge at Dubai International T1 is said to be the largest at any airport. The lounges cover space of 600sq m in total. They are branded under the Winston name and are managed by JCDecaux under a five-year deal with the airport company.
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The environment is described as “refined and relaxing”, with good ventilation, comfortable seating and offering views over the airport apron and runway. Dubai joins airports such as Munich, Zürich, Moscow, Kuala Lumpur and Geneva, where JTI has installed this concept.
JTI Worldwide Duty Free Vice President David Francis said: “The smoking lounge concept was created in 2003 as we were looking for a solution to accommodate smokers and non-smokers in the airports – a top priority for JTI. Since then, this innovative concept has been implemented in 21 airports around the world that have a combined traffic of more than 300 million passengers per year.
“The smoking lounges have proved to be a win-win solution for all parties: smokers are enjoying a break in a pleasant environment especially designed for them, non-smokers benefit from a smoke-free environment and the airport is providing travellers with a high quality service”, he added.
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The lounges boast comfortable seating areas with views over the airport exterior airside |
Dubai Airports Senior Vice President Commercial Eugene Barry said: “This is just one more way in which Dubai Airports is striving to cater to the varying needs of the over 50 million passengers who travel through Dubai International every year. The lounge provides passengers who smoke with a well-ventilated and comfortable place to relax while ensuring our non-smoking passengers can continue to experience a completely smoke-free airport environment.”
He added later: “Dubai Airports is engaged in a US$8 billion expansion programme, with the new Concourse 3 scheduled to open in early 2013. As well as improving our infrastructure we are committed to making the journey through the airport an enjoyable one for passengers, with world-class retail, food & beverage and hotels. And alongside that we want to work with brands and operators to generate new ideas and concepts. This Winston lounge is part of that strategy.”
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(Left to right) Dubai Airports Senior Vice President Commercial Eugene Barry, JTI Regional President Middle East/Near East/Africa/Turkey & Worldwide Duty Free Fadoul Pekhazis and JCDecaux CEO Middle East & Africa Emmanuel Russel salute the opening of the new-look smoking lounges at Dubai International Airport |
The initiative was executed through JCDecaux Dicon. Commenting on the partnership, Emmanuel Russel, CEO Middle East & Africa at JCDecaux, said: “This is a remarkable service that was complex to execute but will effectively enhance passenger experience upon completion. We are glad to facilitate this project, and will continue to add value for our partners through innovative concepts, services and solutions.”
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The five new units at Dubai Airport boast excellent ventilation and an inviting environment |
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Francis noted: “JTI will continue to invest significantly in building smoking lounges, with plans to expand into new regions and airports. Nowadays over 20% of adult passengers are smoking and their choice of airports is being influenced by the existence of smoking facilities. Providing these travellers with state-of-the-art smoking lounges is clearly a competitive advantage for the airports and JTI is ready to partner with them in creating spaces that allow them to smoke while respecting the rights of non-smokers.”
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(Top to bottom) Fadoul Pekhazis, Eugene Barry and Emmanuel Russel underline the importance of the lounges |
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At the inauguration were (l-r) JTI Worldwide Duty Free Vice President David Francis, The Moodie Report Executive Director – Deputy Publisher Dermot Davitt, Dubai Duty Free Executive Vice Chairman Colm McLoughlin and President George Horan |
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The lounges are the latest in JTI’s ambitious and acclaimed smoking lounge programme |
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