Christchurch is New Zealand's second largest airport, behind Auckland Airport | Photo credit: Air New Zealand

SSP Group will strengthen its footprint in Asia Pacific region with an eight-year deal to run five outlets at Christchurch International Airport – the company’s first foray into New Zealand. 
 

The global travel concession operator has not announced which brands it will open at the airport but said its offering will include a bespoke café and two tailor-made concepts that will celebrate Christchurch’s culinary scene.  

“The Asia Pacific region offers a significant opportunity to build returns and drive growth, and this deal is a fantastic foundation for our operations in a truly exciting territory,” said Jonathan Robinson, CEO, SSP Asia Pacific.  

Christchurch is New Zealand's second largest airport, behind Auckland Airport. Passenger numbers reached 5.69 million in 2023 financial year – 2.5 million higher than 2022 but below the seven million recorded pre-pandemic. 

SSP’s expansion into New Zealand follows its acquisition of Australia’s Airport Retail Enterprises Pty Ltd (ARE) in February 2024. The deal includes more than 60 in-house and franchised cafés, restaurants and bars across seven Australian airports and is expected to close by the end of June 2024. 

London-based SSP Group currently operates more than 2,900 food and beverage travel hub outlets across 37 markets globally. The travel concession operator posted annual sales of £3bn ($3.8bn) in the 12 months ended 30 September 2023, a 38% increase on the previous year.