Guadalajara Airport development appoints construction partner

Guadalajara International Airport has seen substantiated growth over the last few years, with traffic numbers reaching 12.8 million in 2017. Consequently, the airport’s current facilities do not have the capacity for volume of passengers and is undergoing a phased expansion and refurbishment programme, which reflects the double-digit growth delivered since 2015, with further strong traffic growth forecast for the next few years.

In the most recent phase of the development the pressure on the gates was relieved through a pier expansion project, including a new bussing gate lounge, and Grupo Aeroportuario Del Pacífico (GAP) are now focusing on the main commercial areas of the terminal. This poses a significant challenge for the construction company, as Robbie Gill, Managing Director of The Design Solution (TDS), explains: “The area between the international gates and the expanded pier is where passengers arrive at the departures level from the two security areas before entering a complex pattern of flows through shops, bars, restaurants and airline lounges. This area of the terminal has been expanded over many years through numerous projects, resulting in a less than optimum layout with some areas being frantically busy and others relatively quiet. Our challenge, is to reconfigure the five different zones and consolidate them into a cohesive commercial area where the vast majority of shops bars and restaurants are visible to all departing passengers and optimise the commercial effectiveness of the space.” 

The Guadalajara project comes two months after GAP appointed TDS to carry out a commercial planning exercise for Los Cabos Airport, on Mexico’s Baja Peninsula, with the design stages about to commence.

Raul Revuelta, CEO of GAP welcomed the appointment of TDS to support the group’s development programme. He said: “GAP is dedicated to being the leading provider of airport services and products in Mexico.  We are strongly committed to raising the quality of the passenger experience at Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla Guadalajara International Airport, we are delighted to have their input into our development at Guadalajara International Airport.”

Gill continued: “Our contracts with GAP will be our first combined airport planning and design projects in Mexico. We first met GAP when working on designs for Montego Bay Airport (owned and operated by GAP). They liked our work and it is always deeply gratifying to be appointed by a client on further projects. Mexico as a whole is enjoying fantastic growth and its culture, history and geography makes it a tremendous place both to visit and to work.”