King Khalid International Airport - Commercial Strategy and Space Planning

 

About the brand

King Khalid International Airport (KKIA) opened in 1983 and consists of 5 main passenger terminals; Terminals 1 – 4 were built when the airport started operation in 1983 and terminal 5 opened in 2016. Currently only terminals 1, 2 and 5 are in operation to handle the 26 million passengers who used the airport in 2018.

Following the privatisation programme of the aviation sector in Saudi Arabia, Riyadh Airports Company is now managing and operating KKIA and is working on upgrading the infrastructure and incorporating new services and facilities.

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The Challenge/Task

Pragma were commissioned to determine the optimal commercial space strategy for terminals 1 – 4, advising on the quantum, composition and positioning of commercial space throughout the terminals, evaluating the design options and developing a commercial revenue forecasting tool.

WHAT WE DID

  • Evaluated the performance of the commercial offer in the operating terminals in relation to the passenger journey of different passenger types

  • Designed and analysed a primary research programme, exploring the different passenger types utilising each terminal, to help assess how demographics, destination and reason for trip impacted spend behaviour and requirements from the commercial offer

  • Reviewed local and global consumer and market trends, exploring the quickly changing nature of the KSA market, such as the introduction of tourist visas into the country, and the implication and opportunities that this provided to the airport

  • Constructed a bespoke space supportable model and worked with the design team to develop potential layout options

    ▷ In Terminals 1 and 2 this allowed us to demonstrate the advantages of expanding the link to create a single consolidated terminal

    ▷ As Terminals 3 and 4 were already undergoing refurbishment, there was less ability to change the building envelope, and so separate strategies were developed for each terminal to enhance the offer and maximise passenger exposure

  • Created a forecasting tool for the Riyadh Airports team to utilise for future planning and sales forecasting

The Result

Pragma’s recommendations were used to cultivate an airport wide commercial masterplan.

This was used to develop and evaluate potential layout plans for areas of the airport currently under consideration for redevelopment to ensure that the commercial offer was located in the best areas in consideration of passenger segments and their journey through the airport.