PJIAE NV team during the kick-off meeting with the retail and food and beverage partners and IXI-Design.
SIMPSON BAY--Princess Juliana International Airport's new departure hall will be considerably larger, expanded from 2000 to 2500 square meters, and will showcase a varied range of food choices and retail options for travellers.
On September 7, Princess Juliana International Airport Operating Company (PJIAE NV) hosted the kick-off meeting with the retail and food and beverage partners.
IXI-Design, the in-house architect responsible for the concession design strategy and implementation, explained the layout of the new departure hall to the attendees.
The ambitious plan is developed by the PJIAE team based upon extensive research, and with input from all partners and stakeholders. The goal of this new plan is to contribute to a new passenger story, with authentic, interesting, and entertaining concession choices, representing the richness and diversity of St. Maarten.
There will be 24 units/stores in the new departure hall and the retail floor space will be expanded to 2500 square meters, sufficient for the anticipated growth in tourism for the coming decade, PJIAE stated. “The objective of the new retail and food and beverage design concepts is to incorporate a strong cultural representation that meets and exceeds the needs of PJIAE’s passengers and by doing so, to increase the overall performance of all concessionaires and PJIAE NV.”
One of the biggest changes for the new departure hall is the increase in floor space for food and beverages. PJIAE explained that this decision was driven by an extensive passenger survey and the latest traveller trends and insights, whereby passengers indicated the desire for a wide variety of food choices and options.
Adding an entirely new Food and Beverage platform is only logical, said Emile van der Weerd, Executive Consultant of PJIAE NV. “Sint Maarten is the culinary capital of the Caribbean, holding the world record of melting-pot restaurants per square kilometre. What excites me is to further build on PJIAE’s success together with the team and our partners, exploring new ways to improve the overall performance and the passenger experience.”
Maggie Gumbs, Jr. Non-Aeronautical Manager commented: “The insights in purchase behaviour and our aviation research helped PJIAE NV to develop and further enhance the concession mix in the departure hall. Together with Chandra Offringa, our Marketing Manager, we will guide and assist the concessionaires with their product offering in line with the passenger wants, needs, and desires.’’
It has been a real pleasure to be working with the PJIAE team, said IXI Design’s architect John Baker. “My team and I are looking forward to working closely with all concessionaires to come to a unique design for the new departure hall. I am convinced travellers will love the new set-up and are looking forward to seeing the plan coming to life.”
