Airport Authority of India (AAI) is on a mission to revamp the customer experience across Airports in India. Within this ambit, AAI is upgrading the facilities at Goa’s Dabolim Airport, to facilitate a better experience for the many national and international fliers who arrive in large numbers at this popular tourist destination. Functioning under Ministry of Civil Aviation, AAI is responsible for creating, upgrading, maintaining, and managing civil aviation infrastructure in India. Towards this end, AAI has come out with a policy to appoint master concessionaire for Retail and F&B for select Airports, such as Goa International Airport. Travel Food Services (TFS), India’s leading Travel, Food, and Retail Company won the tender for revamping the dining facilities, and raise them to International standards.
With support of AAI, TFS will be getting major International and National brands to the airport to make the airport a global destination. They have already opened over 13 outlets at the airport and by the end of December, all the F&B outlets will operational including the food court.
AAI and TFS have further plans to revamp the whole airport with an extensive portfolio that includes bars like Good Times Bar, international brands like KFC, national brands like CCD, Chai Point, and others like Mario’s Kitchen, Cafeccino and Idli.com.
Sunil Kapur, Chairman, Travel Food Services said, ‘’We are glad to have such an exciting opportunity to ramp up passenger’s experience at Goa Airport; holiday capital of India. The continual support and confidence of AAI is paramount to our success in this venture. Excellent customer service is at the heart of TFS, and we are driven by the passion to transform travel food experiences across India. We are excited to commence our operations in Goa, and offer indulgences to travelers like never before.’’
K L Sharma, ED Commercial, Corporate Headquarters, AAI, New Delhi said, “Our mission is to upgrade and maintain the AAI operated airports to International standards and with changing times we are getting more structured and organized support systems to accentuate the user experience as well as business modalities. Thus master concessionaire concept of giving out spaces to one developer to completely do the makeover, ticks all the boxes of our requirements, especially after the success of similar models at various other airports we are hopeful to see drastic change in Goa Airport as well. Along with streamlining the operations and elevating passenger experience, this will benefit us in enhancing non- aeronautical revenue stream as well; therefore a Win – Win for all parties involved.
Bhupesh Negi, Airport Director, Dabolim International Airport said, ‘’Airport Authority of India is committed towards improving the passenger’s experience at all the major airports in India and Goa being one of the important destinations for travellers in India and abroad alike; it makes it very crucial for us to have committed partners to help us with the same. In an effort to elevate the 360 degree passenger experience at Goa Airport we are happy to join hands with Travel Food Services, and look forward to opening more F&B outlets in coming months. By the end of this year, we should see a totally revamped Dabolim Airport’’
Airports Authority of India (AAI) was constituted by an Act of Parliament and came into being on 1st April 1995 by merging erstwhile National Airports Authority and International Airports Authority of India. The merger brought into existence a single Organization entrusted with the responsibility of creating, upgrading, maintaining and managing civil aviation infrastructure both on the ground and air space in the country. AAI manages 125 airports, which include 18 International Airport, 07 Customs Airports, 78 Domestic Airports and 26 Civil Enclaves at Defense airfields. AAI provides air navigation services over 2.8 million square nautical miles of air space. During the year 2013-14, AAI handled aircraft movement of 1536.60
Travel Food Services (TFS) is India’s leading travel F&B and Retail Company, with more than 280 outlets across travel-hubs including Airports, Railway Stations and Highways spread across 19 cities. With major concessions across key airports including Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata and Bengaluru, TFS has been transforming travel experience for over 75 million passengers every year through a variety of cuisines across its diverse formats of restaurants, cafes, bars, food courts and lounges. TFS has partnered with SSP Plc UK, which brings 60 years of rich experience of the global travel retail market thereby enabling TFS to strengthen its market leadership and continue to accelerate India growth in the years ahead.