TOP 10 OPERATORS 2018 10: AER RIANTA INTERNATIONAL


10 F


ARI: ‘Significant shoots of recovery’ amid continuing passenger increases


Aer Rianta International reported managed turnover of €1,058m ($1.2bn) in 2017, an increase of just under +5% on the previous year, while its international retail operations posted an +8% increase in profits. Andrew Pentol reflects on the key developments from a busy year.


rom an industry perspective, DF&TR is reaping the benefits of a ‘good tailwind’ with


continuing passenger increases. This is the view of Anthony Kenny, who at the time of writing was serving as Acting Aer Rianta International (ARI) CEO. In the long-term, Kenny will hold


the dual roles of Deputy CEO and CFO. This is after a formal handover to incoming CEO Ray Hernan. Last year, ARI


reported


managed turnover of €1,058m ($1.2bn), an increase of just under +5% year-on-year. Its international retail operations


also posted an +8% increase in profits compared to 2016. This was underpinned by robust sales growth across its international portfolio with Canada and Delhi delivering double- digit increases. The joint-venture at Delhi


International Airport also enjoyed another year of strong sales growth with a +12% increase on 2016. ARI’s overseas business, which


includes its share of profits from parent company daa’s 20% stake in Düsseldorf Airport, generated after- tax profits of €24m ($28m) last year


OCTOBER 2018


(This excludes the performance of ARI’s Irish operations). In Ireland itself, total sales at The


Loop, Dublin and Cork Airports in 2017, including retail and food and beverage sales by concessionaires, rose +7% to €323m. Dublin Airport Terminal 2 is in the midst of a complete commercial overhaul (see the October issue) which began with the opening of an 86sq m Avoca outlet earlier this year. Passenger numbers increased at


both airports in 2017 and the mix of duty free to duty paid customers was favourable.


Return of Chinese pax “We have seen significant shoots of recovery in 2017 against a challenging passenger average spend in previous years and better average passenger spend profile versus the previous years, which were quite challenging,” Kenny told TRBusiness. “The return of the Chinese


passenger has also had an impact.” Increased pax numbers, however,


were offset by external challenges. These include currency fluctuations, the continuing threat of online and an increase in travellers using low-


cost carriers. “There is also an increasing kind


of passenger apathy to shopping in airports and the attractiveness due to two things,” points out Kenny. “One is more distractions at airports with Wifi, for example,


Above: An interior shot of the new Dublin Airport T2 liquor shop.


Acting ARI CEO Anthony Kenny alongside Avoca Managing Director Tara O’Neill (left) and Marketing Director Maoliosa Connell at the official Dublin Airport Terminal 2 store launch.


“We have seen significant shoots of recovery in 2017 against a challenging passenger average spend in previous years.”


Anthony Kenny, Acting CEO, ARI


TOP 10 OPERATORS 77


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