Dear Friends and Colleagues,

After nearly two years, I’m so excited to have our first opportunity to visit in-person with many you since the pandemic began.

Zoom and Teams meetings have their place, but there is no replacement for face-to-face relationship and deal making. It’s what our industry is built on, and I can’t wait to get back to it. I hope to see many of you in Las Vegas at NBAA-BACE2021! We have many exciting things we’re working on to help make operating in today’s COVID environment easier for you. So please stop by our exhibit #345 to say hi to the team and me.

Industry outlook and bounce back

All of us have faced tremendous challenges in weathering the impact of COVID on our industry and businesses. Our goal at Universal has always been support not just our business but also our industry in its time of need.

I want to thank all of you who have worked closely with us to overcome the new and unforeseen challenges presented by COVID. From the early days, where, as an industry, we pivoted to help deliver life-saving PPE and tests, to helping us pilot new programs, such as our on-aircraft PCR testing solution, to adapting and overcoming the current global supply chain challenges – we’ve been in this together and survived as partners.

Today, I’m hopeful that, as an industry, we’ve rounded the corner and are now poised to thrive once again. I am confident the positive momentum and increase in travel we witnessed in bizav over the last few months will continue.

This summer, as restrictions eased, leisure travel boomed. Throughout July and August, we saw unprecedented demand in popular destinations across the Med, Caribbean and Latin America.

Historically, the summer tourist season winds down by this time of year, and the focus turns more to business travel. However, this year has been a bit different. While traffic is not near as heavy as it was earlier this summer, we’ve seen the season extend longer into early October due to pent-up demand.

With the anticipated easing of restrictions in the U.S., UK and APAC, as well as the return of in-person events including tradeshows (like BACE), forums, sports, and festivals, there are many reasons to be optimistic the momentum will continue this fall.

We’re ready and looking forward to supporting your missions.

Thank you for your loyalty, support and friendship. Here’s to an outstanding NBAA-BACE and a strong close to 2021. Universal’s and our industry’s best days are ahead and I’m proudly looking forward to sharing them with you.

Greg