NEWS to terrorism were among topics debated at forum in Croatia. Amie Keeley reports from Split
Johan Lundgren, easyJet
Lundgren urges air sector to ‘reinvent’ itself sustainably
T
he aviation sector needs to “reinvent itself” as customers become more conscious of the impact
of flying on the environment. EasyJet chief executive Johan
Lundgren said the airline had started to invest in electric aircraſt and predicted they would be launched by 2030. “Te whole debate about
sustainability is absolutely relevant and should be there and will continue to grow in importance,” Lundgren told delegates. “EasyJet has one of the most
efficient operations within Europe. We are one of the most carbon- efficient airlines in the world.” But he highlighted legacy carriers
that were not investing in cleaner fuel. “We are competing against
companies that are 25%-30% worse
“We are competing against fleets that are 20 years old. I will not defend the industry as long as that continues”
than we are, which have fleets that are 15 to 20 years old, and flying with 70% load factors and not investing in its technology,” Lundgren said. “I will not defend the industry as
a whole as long as that continues. “People will start choosing not
only different means of transport, but will increasingly have a closer look at what companies they want to travel with and make a choice [based on] what is good for the environment. “Te aviation sector needs to reinvent itself in the long term.
We have chosen to go down the electric route; others have chosen biofuel. All are good and the solution might be a mix of the two.” Asked about a levy on airline
fares to protect against airline failure, Lundgren reiterated calls for a “risk-based” system. Lundgren said: “Everybody in this
industry knows when a company is in trouble. It is not rocket science. Te regulator and the Department for Transport have a responsibility to do beter due diligence about some of these companies that are on the brink. “If there is a protection system, we
are not against that, but it needs to be risk-based. We have the second- strongest balance sheet in the sector. “Why should we pay the same
amount when the risk for us going bankrupt is significantly less than others?”
‘Create strategy to tap into €170bn activities sector’
Activities and excursions are customers’ number-one priority, ahead of accommodation and location when choosing a holiday, according to research. Globally, the activities sector is
worth €170 billion this year and is set to grow to €182 billion by next year, according to Tui’s destination experiences managing director. David Schelp said the sector
was outstripping overall tourism growth and urged travel firms to put a strategy in place to tap into the growing market. Figures showed 38% of people
chose activities and excursions as the main aspect that influenced their holiday choice.
travelweekly.co.uk David Shelp, Tui Just over 30% cited proximity
to the beach, 28% said quality of accommodation and 27% said resort location. Holidays that included tours
and activities had a 18% higher Net Promoter Score when it came to customer loyalty compared with those that did not. “Every travel company should
have a tours and activity strategy,” Schelp said. “Tere will be more opportunities to sell more products to more customers. [It] drives ancil- lary revenue…and that enhances the brand and drives loyalty.” Shelp’s figures were drawn from
a ‘Global Travel 2014-20’ report by research company Phocuswright.
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PICTURES: AG Studios
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