Officials at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport could get a new operator to man its duty-free concessions.
Sometime this year, the airport will issue a bid for its duty-free shop, BWI spokesman Jonathan Dean says. The shop is located in Concourse E, the airport's international terminal.
Duty Free Americas Inc. of Hollywood, Fla., has managed the shop since 2003. The company operates duty-free shops at 15 airports, including Dulles International Airport, Boston's International Airport, Miami International Airport and Chicago's O'Hare International Airport.
The contract was given a one-year extension, starting April 1, at the March 9 Board of Public Works meeting.
A new contract for a duty-free shop would likely begin April 2012.
The duty-free operator will pay the Maryland Aviation Administration an office space rental of $125,725 per year, or 15 percent of gross revenues up to $750,000 and 20 percent of gross revenues that exceed $750,000 � whichever is greater.
Nearly 22 million passengers flew through
BWI last year, a 4.7 percent increase over 2009 and an all-time record for the airport.
Writer: Julekha Dash
Source: Jonathan Dean, BWI