• By: Kat Walcott

YOW’s Airport Concession Program is about to take off

Photo Credit: Ottawa International Airport Authority


The Ottawa International Airport (YOW) will be looking a little different very soon! Earlier this summer, the Ottawa International Airport Authority, along with partners SSP Canada and Paradies Lagardère, announced the exciting Airport Concession Program. This program will see the introduction of over a dozen new food vendors and retail shops to the airport.

The new additions will be a cool mix of popular local companies as well as major international brands. About the program, Ottawa International Airport Authority President and CEO Mark Laroche says, “We are thrilled to announce an impressive new food and beverage and retail lineup at YOW, including beloved local brands such as Big Rig Brewery, Bridgehead Coffee, La Bottega and Zak’s Diner, and iconic brands such as Subway and Dylan’s Candy Bar. We listened to our passengers and employees incorporating more modern options, diversity of product in new and beautiful spaces. We are confident that this new program will be a delight to all.”

The concession program is a key pillar in the long-term YOW+ airport enhancement program, which also includes the pre-board screening checkpoint move from Level 2 to Level 3, Group Germain Hotels construction of the Alt Hotel Ottawa Airport, and construction of the airport’s LRT station. The $27 million concession program, of which YOW will be contributing $12 million, and partners contributing $15 million, will completed over a period of two years starting in 2020.

Vendors and shops that are part of the program:

  • Big Rig Brewery
  • Bridgehead Coffee
  • La Bottega Nicastro
  • Zak’s Diner
  • Tim Hortons
  • Canal Market Hall
  • Urban Crave
  • Dylan’s Candy Bar
  • Maison de la Presse
  • TripAdvisor
  • Relay
  • No Boundaries
  • The Locks

Travellers can also expect to see many local brands such as Hummingbird Chocolate, Top Shelf Preserves, Bee Savvy, and more available through the new shops.