Dubai Airports appeals for Terminal 1 retail bids

Leaders at Dubai Airports are urging retailers to bid for space in the new-look Terminal 1 building at Dubai International Airport.The arrivals section is set to undergo a major overhaul in the next year and the company wants restaurant chains, shops, cafes, hotels, currency exchange bureaus, car rental stands and tour operators to fill the new area.Refurbishment of Terminal 1 will pave the way for the construction of a new elevated train system, providing quick links to Concourse D, which is currently being built.Once it is open in 2015, the airport will be one of the biggest on the planet and will be home to more than 100 international airlines.Tender documents for retail bids will be available from March 1st and senior vice president of the commercial unit at Dubai Airports Eugene Barry believes the UAE-based aviation complex will be hugely appealing to businesses."As one of the busiest airports in the world, and given the global attention generated by the recent opening of Concourse A, Dubai International offers potential bidders a very attractive proposition," he remarked.Passenger numbers increased rapidly in 2012, with 57.6 million people passing through the facility throughout the 12-month period. This was a 13.2 per cent improvement on 2011.The brand new Concourse A development was officially launched earlier this month and this will create some much-needed extra space.Indeed, it boosts the airport's capacity from 60 million to 75 million passengers a year and this expansion has come just in the nick of time.Dubai Airports chiefs are predicting around 66 million visitors in 2013, as major airlines such as Emirates continue to add new flights to different parts of the world.Such was the extent of Dubai International's growth in 2012, it overtook Hong Kong International Airport as the third busiest aviation hub in the world and now the company has its sights firmly set on becoming the number one airport on the planet.