The Task
In preparation for the privatisation of Asunción Airport, the Airport management, with the support of ICAO, approached us to optimise and structure commercial operations and to develop all the necessary data and input to the IM for the public tender of the concession.
Our Approach
To understand the commercial operation’s opportunities and limitations, we conducted an in-depth site visit over several days, including visiting downtown shopping areas to identify the opportunity to implement local F&B and specialised retail concepts. We evaluated and recommended adjustments to passenger flows, terminal layouts, optimal space allocation, retail concepts, and daily operations. The management team was continuously informed of the proposed changes, through meetings with the various airport departments involved in managing commercial activities.
The Result
We developed all relevant input for the Government and DINAC (Dirección Nacional de Aeronáutica Civil) related to commercial activities for developing an RFP for the privatisation. Furthermore, we recommended a change in national legislation that regulates the airport charges applicable to the commercial units at the terminal.
Our findings resulted in a recommendation that DINAC should decentralise control of commercial management, upgrade the financial reporting system, and implement a commercial business development strategy. Our report also included specific areas for immediate optimisation, partly to increase revenue and partly to streamline operations to improve the commercial operation’s overall image. The airport was set to be privatised in the spring of 2016. However, a political decision resulted in the airport remaining under the operation of DINAC.