CHILLOUT ZONE: The retail plaza outside the arrival terminal of Kempegowda International Airport offers a wide... Read More

BENGALURU: Passengers at the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA), who are waiting for flights , can now spend time at The Quad – a set of retail, food and entertainment outlets — outside the arrival terminal. The facility — spread over an area of 50,000sqft — was launched on Tuesday.

Over 21 retail, food and beverage (F&B) and entertainment outlets, which will stay open round the clock, have set up shops on the kerb outside the arrival terminal. All the outlets, which resemble pop-up stores, have been constructed out of discarded shipping containers sourced from Chennai port, said aiport authorities.

The retail plaza boasts many eateries selling hyper-local dishes such as Bengaluru cookies and rotis. A flea market zone where local traders from Bengaluru and Channapatna sell their products, and a centrally located LED video wall and arena where live performances can be hosted have also been set up inside The Quad. According to Pravat Kumar Paikray, assistant vice-president, commercial development, KIA, this is an attempt to not only provide more options for flyers, but also to encourage non-flyers to make the trip to the airport.

“In airports across India, there are curated retail and F&B experiences set up for departing passengers due to the additional time they spend at the airport. For arriving passengers, not much has been done in terms of retail and F&B experiences. This is why we have set up The Quad in such a manner that arriving passengers pass through it while exiting,” he said.

“The concept has been executed in three months. There are 11 F&B outlets, nine retail stores and an entertainment zone dubbed the ‘Arena’. There are two restobars, a few street food outlets and dessert stores. The gifting zone could come in handy for time-pressed flyers. If there is any consumer demand for any more retail concepts, we will work on developing them as well,” added Paikray.

