The Travel Food Services joint venture business has extended its contract at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and signed five new deals for regional airports across India
A departure lounge at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, Mumbai | Photo credit: Siddhesh Mangela
SSP Group’s joint venture in India has secured a long-term contract extension for QSR and lounge operations at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport alongside new contracts at airports in Ahmedabad, Guwahati, Jaipur, Lucknow and Trivandrum.
Formed in 2019 by SSP Group and India’s K Hospitality Corp, Mumbai-based travel food retailer Travel Food Services operates domestic and international cafè brands across nine major airports in India – including licensed Cafècinno, Café Coffee Day, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf and Caffè Ritazza sites at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport.
TFS has now agreed a new deal with private airport operator Adani Airport Holdings Limited (AAHL) to expand operations at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport. AAHL assumed management of the travel hub from GVK Group in 2021.
The new deal means SSP Group will no longer count Mumbai Airport operations in its financial reporting, culminating in an estimated annual operating profit reduction of £17m ($21.7m).
However, TFS’s deal with AAHL also includes new contracts at regional airports in Ahmedabad, Guwahati, Jaipur, Lucknow and Trivandrum – providing an opportunity for the SSP Group to tap into rising domestic and international air passenger travel in India.
Several new domestic and international flight routes have been introduced in India in 2024, with the International Air Transport Association (IATA) forecasting air passenger traffic in the country will double by 2035.
New domestic routes include Bangaluru to Lakshadweep and Delhi to Ayodhya, while international routes include Jaipur to Abu Dhabi, UAE, Andaman to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and Hyderabad to Frankfurt, Germany.
India is currently SSP Group’s second largest market by unit numbers, with the TFS joint venture operating more than 70 food and beverage brands across airports in Mumbai, New Delhi, Bangalore, Goa, Chennai, Kolkata and Bhubaneswar. TFS represents approximately 60% of SSP Group’s total APAC & EEME regional operating profit.