ETRC demands fair compensation for travel-retail sector

Bill Lumley

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The association wants travel-retail and duty-free business losses to get full consideration in any European Commission compensation package

The European Travel Retail Council (ETRC) has demanded the European Commission take into full account the impact the closure of European airspace had on the travel-retail and duty-free market.

ETRC president Frank O’Connell has today written to Commissioner Siim Kallas insisting that a fair share of any compensation or rescue packages prepared for the aviation industry should be reimbursed to the industry. According to Generation Research, the travel-retail sector lost around of €25m ($33.4m) every day since the first airport closure on April 15. O’Connell has also written to Airports Council International (ACI) Europe calling on airports to take into account the difficulties concessionaires have confronted during the crisis. ETRC members have lost considerable business over the last six days, he said, and this must be taken into consideration by airport landlords in assessing commercial rents for the period.

He also offered his support for ACI Europe’s lobbying efforts to restore business in the sector and promised ETRC support for further ACI Europe initiatives. O’Connell said: “This is without a doubt the biggest challenge ETRC members have had to face in recent years. Our members will be counting the cost of this crisis for some time to come. Given the overall state of the industry, it could not have come at a worse time.

“Our members are in long-term partnership with their airport landlords. I would therefore call for that spirit of partnership to come to the fore when airports are assessing how to manage the financial fallout of the closedown,” he added.

ETRC is still working with its members to fully assess the extent of the damage.