Airports Council International (ACI) World has today launched a complimentary White Paper on airport retail to help airports adjust their non-aeronautical (commercial) business strategies to reflect the evolution of the sector and support their long-term sustained recovery.
The Regulatory Threats and Opportunities in Airport Retail White Paper is the newest addition to the ACI Airports’ Non-Aeronautical Revenues and Activities (ANARA) guidance series launched earlier this year.
The White Paper describes some of the major legislative and regulatory threats and opportunities to airport retail and duty-free to help airport operators, travel retail operators, and policymakers work together to stimulate an increase in sales, investment, and sustainable job creation.
ACI World Director General Luis Felipe de Oliveira said: “As COVID-19 travel restrictions ease and passenger demand returns, governments and policymakers across the world have an opportunity to leverage airports to stimulate growth and investment by creating an enabling environment for retail and duty-free.
“We encourage relevant aviation stakeholders, including governments, to leverage the new guidance and the entire series, to stay one step ahead of the game as they strengthen the commercial side of the business. The guidance can in turn also help airports and retailers enhance customer experience and service quality.”
The Duty Free World Council (DFWC) strongly welcomes the White Paper. Underlining the impact of the pandemic has had on the Duty Free and Travel Retail industry, its President, Sarah Branquinho, commented: “The pandemic has demonstrated the critical role of duty free and travel retail revenues to the broader aviation and travel industries. The cooperation between airports and concessionaires in working together to navigate the difficulties leaves all parties in a stronger position to face future challenges and to embrace the opportunities that we all now have as passengers return to airports and the airport retail experience.”
She also welcomed the creation of the ANARA sub-committee and the deepening links between ACI and the DFWC as evidence of the interdependence of both industries.
The publication has been developed by ACI World’s ANARA Sub-Committee, which is linked to the ACI World Economics Standing Committee, made up of experts from Member Airports and World Business Partners from around the world. The committee’s objective is to investigate, analyse, and formulate strategies, policy recommendations, industry positions, and guidance material on how best to improve, facilitate, and diversify the range of non-aeronautical revenue sources for the benefit of the air transport ecosystem.
The rest of the ANARA series will include the launch of timely guidance in the areas of digital transformation, food and beverage, and sustainability.
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