ECUADOR. New Quito International Airport (NQIA) is on count down to its official opening today, 20 February, at 9am Ecuador time.
Airport authority Corporación Quiport has satisfactorily completed the process of checks and technical inspections in cooperation with international airlines, confirmed Ecuador’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation.
NQIA, located in the Tababela district 24 km from central Quito, replaces the old central-city airport and inherits its official name – Mariscal Sucre International Airport (IATA code UIO).
Constructed over a seven-year period, the new airport has a 38,000sq m terminal, with capacity of 5 million passengers a year. Further expansion of the airport is planned in future.
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The new Mariscal Sucre International Airport has capacity for 5 million passengers a year |
“The construction of the New Quito International Airport comes hand-in-hand with a process of marked growth in air transportation in the region,” Corporación Quiport President Philippe Baril commented last October.
Commercial activity at the new airport is concentrated in the two-level Mall del Cielo (Sky Mall), which groups duty free, general merchandise, arts and crafts, and jewellery stores with food & beverage outlets and passenger services.
Motta Internacional has an exclusive 12-year contract to operate duty free stores at the new airport.
“Our new Attenza Duty Free stores in the international Arrivals and Departures areas are on track and will be operational on 20 February,” Erasmo Orillac, CEO of Motta Internacional, told The Moodie Report.
“We will open the Departure store with 286sq m, and by the end of March an additional 600sq m of floor space will be incorporated.”
The additional space will permit the opening of specialised corners and brand boutiques in the walk-through space, Orillac said.
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Motta Internacional is opening Departures and Arrivals stores at New Quito International Airport, following the style of its new Departures outlet at Bogotá El Dorado Airport in Colombia, shown here |
The Attenza Duty Free stores will represent traditional duty free categories, including fragrances, cosmetics, liquor, tobacco, luxury goods, watches and select clothing lines.
Speciality retailers in the commercial area include La Casa del Habano cigar outlet, innovative local chocolate house República del Cacao, and the Ecuador Gourmet delicatessen. Some 20 jewellery and arts and crafts retailers are present.
According to Quiport, the Mall del Cielo constitutes a commercial environment that will meet passenger expectations and boasts a range of products and services of a standard befitting an international airport.
About 1 million international passengers are expected at NQIA during its first full year of operation.
About Corporación Quiport
Corporación Quiport manages both the existing Mariscal Sucre International Airport and the new airport. It holds a 35-year concession (2006–2041) to operate, administer, maintain and improve airport services for Quito.
Quiport is a consortium of Canadian companies AECON and Airport Development Corporation, Texas-based HAS Development Corporation, and Brazil’s AG-CCR.
