Aer Rianta lands in China
AVIATION
AER Rianta International -- a subsidiary of the Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) -- has gained its first foothold in China after winning a contract to operate 11 retail outlets at the new Kunming Changshui International Airport in the south of the country.
Located about 500km from the borders of Laos, Vietnam and Burma, the Kunming airport is operated by the Yunan Airport Group and is expected to handle about 24 million passengers in its first year of operation. It will open next year.
DAA chief executive Declan Collier said that the contract win was significant for Aer Rianta International (ARI).
"It means we will be operating outlets in the fast-growing Chinese airport market for the very first time," he said.
"The Chinese aviation market is experiencing phenomenal growth and we are very excited at the potential for further opportunities in China," he said. The ARI venture will initially employ about 100 staff.
Kunming airport has been designed to handle up to 70 million passengers a year and has four runways.
Irish Independent
