CANADA: VANCOUVER AIRPORT
Tell us about the passenger demographic at YVR and how this influences the retail portfolio at the airport. For example, is the assortment targeting the increasing numbers of Chinese travellers? As we continue to grow the airport as a world-class hub, we have experienced a change in our passenger demographic. For example, YVR has the most mainland Chinese airline carriers in all of the Americas and Europe and last year we welcomed the arrival of Hainan Airlines and its service between Vancouver and Shenzhen. With airlines now offering routes to more destinations in China, we continue to be a gateway to Asia Pacific. Additionally, in 2018 we launched
a direct service to Delhi with Air Canada and have seen an increase in passengers booking this flight. By continuing to work with partners to introduce new service routes, we are diversifying our customer base. We are always keeping a close look at our passenger trends and changes in preferences to ensure the airport experience and offering is relevant. YVR’s retail portfolio is designed
to appeal to a diverse range of customers. Our offering is based on a combination of local products and hospitality options, unique to British Columbia, along with notable international brands.
The strength of the US dollar must have had a positive effect on sales at the airport for a period of time. Is this still the case, or has this normalised now? I don’t have the exact figures to hand. However, what I can say is we have seen an ongoing increase in concession sales. The strength of the US dollar is also beneficial for our inbound tourist business. YVR works with several organisations, including Tourism Whistler, to promote their tourism offerings for passengers arriving to Vancouver.
Obviously YVR is undergoing a multi-billion dollar expansion programme at the moment. Is this progressing as expected? Have there been any unforeseen
MARCH 2019 Unlock the full potential...
delays? Are you ahead of schedule? Our multi-year $9.1bn airport expansion plans consist of 75 major projects over the next 20 years. This includes sustainability projects, new parking options, terminal expansions, safety upgrades and more. Last year, we made significant
progress on our $550m project, building a new Central Utilities Building and a six-storey Parkade and ground transportation facility. Our ongoing construction work is advancing well to meet completion deadlines and we provide regular progress updates on our website,
yvr.ca/construction.
ACI World Secretary General Angela Gittens
recently
expressed her concerns that passenger growth is now outpacing the ability of airports to meet the additional capacity demands in time, particularly in North America. Do you think international airports are reaching a breaking point? Airports are experiencing strong growth around the world. At YVR, our major expansion projects at the terminal are well underway to accommodate the anticipated passenger growth. As such, we are on track to serve more than 29m passengers in 2020, with projections indicating YVR will welcome 32m passengers by 2022.
Scott Norris, Vancouver Airport Authority
What are Vancouver Airport’s top priorities in 2019? Our
top priority remains
strengthening YVR’s competitive position as a world-class connecting hub. From a commercial perspective, we plan to introduce a significant number of new stores, with some offers already approved. Also, we continue to focus on our construction expansion projects and aim to deliver outstanding customer experiences. We will also plan ahead for the next phase of developments in 2020 and beyond.
Finally, which geo-political and socio-economic pressures do you feel will most heavily influence or impact the airport in 2019? Vancouver Airport Authority is a community-based not-for-profit organisation and all profits are reinvested back into the airport. Due to our unique governance model, we address challenges with solutions that are in the best interest of our passengers and community. «
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Tastes on the Fly, a boutique airport restaurant operator headquartered in San Francisco, is bringing a local marketplace concept to YVR called Pacific Farms Market.
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[On the strength of the US dollar] “I don’t have the exact figures to hand. However, what I can say is we have seen an ongoing increase in concession sales. The strength of the US dollar is also beneficial for our inbound tourist business.”
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