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Dublin Airport’s new Terminal 2, which opened on Friday, was built on time and on budget |
IRELAND. Friday November 19 marked the official inauguration of Dublin Airport’s new Terminal 2, a €600 million project described by owner and operator DAA as “an investment in Ireland’s future”. The new facility was opened by Irish Taoiseach [prime minister] Brian Cowen at a ceremony attended by a host of business partners and media, among them The Moodie Report.
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Ireland’s Taoiseach Brian Cowen hails the opening of T2 as a landmark day for Ireland |
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Brian Cowen (centre) inaugurates the new terminal with (from left) DAA Chief Executive Declan Collier, DAA Chairman David Dilger, Ireland’s Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey and Aer Lingus CEO Christoph Mueller |
The terminal spans 75,000sq m in total and features 8,500sq m of commercial space, with a 1,100sq m main duty free outlet operated by DAA’s retail subsidiary DAA Retail. The company also operates a 190sq m destination merchandise outlet under its new Irish Memories brand, a 55sq m Jo Malone unit, a 100sq m Arrivals travel retail store – a first for the airport – with a further airside gate store yet to come.
T2 contains nearly 40 commercial units in total, designed to offer the best of Irish and international retail. The DAA-operated stores were designed by retail planning company The Design Solution.
T2 will be able to handle up to 15 million passengers and will eventually cater for 40% of Dublin Airport’s passengers, said the DAA.
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The airside zone houses close to 9,000sq m of commercial space that runs in a sweeping curve around the lounge |
Speaking to a large audience of invited guests [The Moodie Report was the sole travel retail media present] DAA Chairman David Dilger said the new terminal would “dramatically improve the travel experience for all Dublin Airport users for many years to come”. He continued: “Designed with the passenger in mind, T2 has been planned and built for the long term. The new terminal is the centrepiece of a five-year investment programme to expand, improve and upgrade Dublin Airport. Our passengers told us that they wanted better facilities, and we have delivered them.”
Speaking at the inauguration, which comes at a time of considerable economic uncertainty in Ireland, Prime Minister Cowen said: “T2 was designed and built not just for this year or the next, but for many decades into the future. To view it through the prism of the current downturn would be short-sighted in the extreme. By investing prudently in improved facilities, we are laying the foundations for future growth and prosperity – not just for Dublin Airport, but also for the wider Irish economy.”
DAA stated that T2 had been funded entirely “through a combination of commercial revenues, aeronautical charges and borrowings as the DAA receives no funding whatsoever from the state”.
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The main 1,100sq m DAA Retail unit boasts wide walkways, strong personalisation and great visibility |
The terminal will be opened on a phased basis, as airlines shift their operations from the existing facility according to an agreed timetable. T2 is set to be home to Irish flag carrier Aer Lingus, American Airlines, Continental Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Etihad Airways and US Airways. Selected Aer Lingus flights are already operating out of T2, while Etihad will begin its first service from T2 on November 23, coinciding with the terminal’s full public opening.
Echoing the service offered at DAA’s Shannon Airport in the west of Ireland, Dublin’s T2 will also offer a US pre-clearance facility allowing passengers bound for the US to clear Customs, immigration, agriculture and security checks before leaving Ireland. This service will be introduced to T2 early in 2011.
“The commercial and economic benefits of US pre-clearance are very important,” said Cowen, “not alone for the DAA but for the Dublin region and for Ireland as a whole.”
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Kurt Geiger and Hugo Boss are two of the high-class executions from the Collezioni stable |
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DAA’s Irish Memories unit creates a new look for the company’s destination products |
Key retail highlights
Among the highlights of the retail offer is The Irish Whiskey Collection, an 80sq m space housed in the main The Loop store, which features what DAA said is the world’s best selection of Irish whiskey. Aside from core ranges of Jameson, Bushmills and Powers, it carries the entire Midleton range, including a Midleton Single Cask 1991 bottling specially created for the T2 opening (with only 204 bottles available), plus a Greenore 19yo from the Cooley Distillery, featuring whiskey from the oldest Cooley cask ever laid down – only 300 bottles of this are on offer.
“We want this store to be the place to go for Irish whiskey,” said DAA Head of Retail Gerry Crawford. “It’s about trying to do a traditional category in a modern way. We will build the collection over time and it is going to be a point of interest, as well as something that creates a Sense of Place about the store. It’s not just a showcase either. Irish whiskey is over 60% of our spirits sales, so it’s an important driver of revenue as well.”
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The Irish Whiskey Collection aims to be a reference point for the country’s strong whiskey heritage |
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DAA Head of Retail Gerry Crawford (second right) and team proudly display the new whiskey showcase |
Irish brands and retailers feature heavily across the commercial environment, from leading names in confectionery such as Butler’s and Lily O’Brien’s in the main store, to stand-alone units from Irish fashion house Azure, gifts store House of Ireland, seafood retailer Wrights of Howth and DAA’s own Irish Memories. There is also an Irish first in the opening of a hair salon – called the Blow Dry Bar – in the centre of the terminal, under the Dylan Bradshaw brand.
The F&B offer also offers a strong Irish feel, through the Louise Kennedy-inspired Slaney Bar airside, the Oak Bar landside, and HMSHost’s Harvest Market. Among the brands that are creating a real sense of newness is The Chocolate Lounge, a bar that displays its chocolate-inspired menu on a sushi-style conveyor belt.
Collezioni – already present in T1 – has a strong presence in T2, with Kurt Geiger (the airport’s first shoe shop), LK Bennett, Hugo Boss, Longchamp, Pandora and The Collection store, which carries brands such as DKNY, Orla Kiely and Texier.
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The Design Solution’s Nick Taylor (left) and Robbie Gill, who played a key role in the retail planning |
The Design Solution Director Robbie Gill told The Moodie Report that the main store in Dublin was “the best store we have ever designed”. He said: “It has absolute clarity and hits exactly the right notes. It is not a walk-through but is designed like a walk-through. It has deep space but you don’t notice that because the space is so well used, with sweeping curves rather than a ‘square box’ look inside. There are no straight lines, and it’s positive that a small amount of space has been sacrificed to create an environment that is interesting and real quality. As the traveller passes through the store they encounter all of the core categories, while the ceiling ‘cloud’ design adds a sense of fun.”
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DAA Retail operates a 55sq m Jo Malone unit airside |
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Butler’s is one of the popular Irish confectionery brands that boasts significant space in the main travel retail store |
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The Chocolate Lounge (above and top) is one of the most innovative new F&B concepts to appear at any airport recently |
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The Dylan Bradshaw hair salon adds an element of surprise to the consumer offer |
We’ll bring you a more detailed report plus comment and further images of the new T2 in coming days.
