UKRAINE. Airport duty free and food & beverage outlets across Ukraine have been shut down by Customs officials since 1 September, according to local media reports subsequently verified by The Moodie Report this morning with informed local sources.
The Kyiv Post reports that most outlets across the country’s airports have been closed, with the exception of those at Kiev Boryspil Airport Terminal F.
The newspaper claimed that the closures started after the Kiev Province Prosecutor’s office informed Customs authorities that they were allegedly acting illegally by allowing Boryspil retailers to operate with expired contracts. It also alleged they were using more space than was permitted under contracts.
The Post reported that the closures began at Boryspil Terminals B and D on 1 September. Customs authorities are then understood to have carried out their own checks on other airports, and on 4 September began closing shops at Kiev Zhulyanyin Airport and other airports in Donetsk, Odesa, Lviv and Simferopol.
A press release from the Ukrainian Customs department cited new Customs regulations that had not been adhered to by retailers, but one airport retailer told the Post that it had submitted the newly required documentation on time, only for Customs to delay processing the paperwork.
One of the retailers affected is Aer Rianta International’s Kievrianta venture.
Seamus Holmes, ARI’s General Manager on the ground, confirmed that ARI’s duty free and food & beverage operations at Kyiv Boryspil Airport Terminal B are currently closed, as are most other outlets in Terminal B and Terminal D.
Holmes said: “The current situation is as a result of some differences of interpretation between the statutory authorities. We are hopeful that the various issues will be resolved to all parties’ satisfaction and look forward to re-opening our shops in the very near future.”
The Moodie Report is seeking further reaction and will report more details shortly.
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