“Just when people are still being shocked by China’s Daxing Airport in Beijing, a great sunbird is about to soar into the sky from West China and ready to amaze the world with its first ascending” – Chengu Plus+ on the eve of Chengdu Tianfu International Airport’s opening in June.
CHINA. The retail offer at the newly opened Chengdu Tianfu International Airport offers further emphatic affirmation of the growth in high-end shopping at Chinese domestic terminals.
The magnificent new airport – the city’s second – opened in late June, opening a new gateway to the city famed for its giant pandas. The airport has initial annual capacity of 60 million passengers, a number that will eventually double.
The US$10.8 billion first phase features two terminals and three runways (eventually it will have six).
As reported, Lagardère Travel Retail has opened an extensive retail and F&B concession at the airport. High-end fashion and accessory brands include Alexander McQueen, Balenciaga, Bottega Veneta, Burberry, Bvlgari, Gucci, MaxMara, Moncler, Omega, Saint Laurent and Valentino.
Those brands join other self-managed powerhouse luxury labels such as Louis Vuitton and Dior in an outstanding commercial offer across both the domestic and international facilities.
“For a domestic airport Chengdu has an extraordinary offer of brands,” a senior luxury executive told The Moodie Davitt Report.
China Duty Free Group (CDFG) operates 4,000sq m of retail space in the international zone. China’s leading travel retailer worked with UK company The Design Solution to create a vibrant airside shopping zone, as previewed here by The Moodie Davitt Report in April.
The Moodie Davitt Report will bring you an on-location report from Chengdu Tianfu International Airport in the near future.
Below we include some recent video coverage (with appropriate time codes to help readers), that underlines the astounding scale and impressive execution of this modern aviation wonder.
Watch this video from Chengdu Plus taken just before the opening for an excellent overview of the new airport’s extensive operational and commercial facilities. “We have this central area, it’s like a CBD area in the airport. Here you have 3,000sq m of shops, especially branded luxury shops,” says reporter Viki (Time code: 05:47)
This neat 90-second video from South China Morning Post captures the vastness and technological slickness of the new airport
Watch from 6.10 for a tantalising view of the retail, dining and cultural offer
This time lapse video from People’s Daily shows how this extraordinary example of contemporary aviation infrastructure was created in just five years
And a nod to Daxing
And below, courtesy of Walk East, is a reminder of Beijing Daxing International Airport, another outstanding example of how China’s airports are leading the world in terms of architecture, design, technology, cultural emphasis and commercial offer, both in their domestic and international terminals.
