The briefing on airports
The news, views and numbers you need to know this month
News in numbers
10-100
According to Helsinki Airport, four Covid-19 sniffer dogs being deployed in the terminal can identify the virus from a sample of 10-100 molecules, as opposed to the 18,000,000 required by test equipment
£2.1bn
According to York Aviation, ending tax-free sales at UK airports from January 2021 will cost the UK economy £2.1bn in GDP
31 Oct 2020
The scheduled opening date for Berlin Brandenburg Airport, which has experienced years of construction delays since 2006
900
According to an internal Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) report, the organisation is expected to investigate quality lapses in the manufacturing process which could have affected up to 900 aircraft
35%
Argentina has begun levying an additional 35% on international airline tickets, which the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has protested
In quotes
Airport Operators Association (AOA) chief executive Karen Dee, speaking as the AOA called upon the UK Government to take “robust” action to protect the sector from further job losses:
Commercial aviation in the UK has weathered the worst three months in its history, and is now presented with an arbitrary quarantine policy, which has unnecessarily stifled the sector’s restart and recovery plans. The government should look to revoke the blanket quarantine measure as soon as possible and institute a measured approach which is proportionate to the risk present in destination countries.
UK Travel Retail Forum chairman Francois Bourienne, after the UK Government announced it would end tax-free sales on goods at airports in September:
This decision puts the UK out of step with travel retail systems around the world, completely disincentivises tourists to visit the UK and British passengers making purchases as they go on vacation abroad, and puts UK airports and travel retail at a substantial disadvantage against their European counterparts after Brexit.
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