It is now certain that 2020 will be a difficult year, with the effects of COVID-19 already hugely impacting the industry. “The scale of the COVID-19 crisis on aviation is unprecedented,” observes Nigel Keal, President, European Travel Retail Confederation (ETRC) and Global Commercial Director, Dufry. “Airports are at a standstill across Europe, our shops are shut down and the situation will take months, perhaps years to normalise again.”
ETRC and ACI EUROPE have been working closely together to call for specific support from the EU and governments to help the industry get back on its feet and prevent large-scale and long-term damage. Without a well-functioning duty free and travel retail business, the EU aviation system faces a long road to recovery. “This is a painful reminder of the vulnerability of the aviation industry, which is heavily dependent on external factors such as health and geopolitical issues. Airports, operators, retailers, suppliers… all need to stick together and wait for better days, showing resilience as we have done in the past.”...more