As 2020 comes to an end, the future of airports lies in the balance, and many questions are left to be answered. Will promising Covid-19 vaccines be distributed effectively enough to get a hold on the pandemic? Could this subsequently allow low-cost carriers to beat a path to recovery? What does the future of airport retail look like? And how might the perception of airports change forever?

In this issue, we try and answer some of these questions, but also try and find reasons to be cheerful that may have slipped through the cracks during a difficult year. We examine the aviation industry’s reaction to the US election result, analyse cutting-edge aircraft design concepts and explore whether the ‘flights to nowhere’ concept is a successful concept for airlines.

We also find out how and why San Francisco International Airport is making its terminals quieter, examine what the end of VAT-free shopping will mean for airport retail in the UK, and take a look at how birds have inspired an innovative new flight path concept from Airbus.