“Shopping malls with planes” is an apt description for some of the busiest airports in the world.
If you’ve walked through our own Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), you would’ve noticed the impressive number of shops and restaurants available in its terminals.
These outlets offer weary travellers a place to rest and refuel, or to feign off boredom while waiting for their flights. More than that, they generate non-aeronautical revenue.
As highlighted by DeCard (https://thedecard.com), Singapore-based stablecoin payment card provider, non-aeronautical revenue makes up around 40% of an airport’s total income on average.
DeCard recently conducted a study to determine which airports across the globe have the most places in their terminals for travellers to dine and shop.
Aside from counting the number of dining and retail options, the study also took into account how many of these exist for every million passengers passing through. The more of these options they offer, in contrast to their passenger traffic, the higher the airports are ranked.
KLIA, which serves around 48 million passengers yearly and generates SGD$138.3mil (RM433mil) in non-aeronautical revenue, places fifth on the list of top 10 airports that are the biggest spending hubs.
The airport has close to 100 cafes and fast-food eateries across its departure and arrival zones. It also has 120 shops offering everything from local products to duty-free items – more than what’s offered at busier airports like the ones in Dubai (United Arab Emirates) and Paris (France).
Topping the list is Singapore Changi Airport, with a non-aeronautical revenue of SGD$1.1bil (RM3.4bil). Readily designed to accommodate retail spaces, it has more than 500 shops and over 270 restaurants across its terminals, serving around 59 million passengers annually.
Asian airports dominate the top 10 list, securing six spots in total. Joining Malaysia and Singapore are South Korea, Japan, Philippines and Thailand.
The full list is as follows, including each airport’s average spending spots per 1 million customers:
1. Changi Airport (Singapore): 6.62
2. Seoul Incheon International Airport (South Korea): 2.79
3. Tokyo Haneda Airport (Japan): 2.47
4. São Paulo/Guarulhos International Airport (Brazil): 2.35
5. KLIA (Malaysia): 2.29
6. Istanbul Airport (Turkey): 1.89
7. Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Philippines): 1.88
8. Suvarnabhumi Airport (Thailand): 1.84
9. Hamad International Airport (Qatar): 1.71
10. Toronto Pearson International Airport (Canada): 1.71
