Comment: Government must introduce full recovery plan

The reopening of Gatwick Airport’s South Terminal at the end of March was a welcome and overdue sign that we can start to look towards the sector’s recovery from Covid-19 pandemic restrictions.  However, challenges over the Easter period have reinforced that recovery is far from guaranteed and that it is essential Government work with industry on a full aviation recovery plan.

As we continue to move beyond the rules and restrictions that have dominated the last two years, it is crucial for the Government to recognise and address the significant obstacles and disadvantages that UK aviation and travel industries continue to face, especially when compared with competitors abroad, despite being one of the first jurisdictions to re-open and remove pandemic measures.

It is naïve, dangerous and reckless to expect that you can simply switch the aviation, travel and tourism industries straight back on after two years of record low passenger numbers, ever changing public health measures and travel advice. But it is also clear that without a full recovery for our airports, airlines, and travel bodies we will not have a full recovery from the pandemic. 

The scale of the financial consequences of the last two years should leave the Government in no doubt that the opportunities and connectivity provided by aviation and travel are paramount not only to the UK’s trade and development, but also the Government’s Global Britain agenda. Without a fully recovered and vibrant aviation and travel industry, the ambitions of Global Britain, namely championing our values, reinvesting our global relationships, and maximising trade opportunities on the world stage, will all remain effectively grounded. 

Any further delay to the aviation and travel sector’s recovery will also be felt across the UK and has the potential to significantly disrupt the Government’s proposals for Levelling Up. In the years before the pandemic, airlines and regional airports formed the backbone of regional connectivity across regions throughout the UK. Whilst we have seen some promising progress in restoring regional connectivity in recent months, it is clear that there is still more to be done to safeguard the long-term future of domestic routes and returning short haul and long-haul routes to our regional airports. 

 With our departure from the EU there is scope for the Government to go even further in support for regional route developments, through reforming the Public Service Obligation program and funding a fully comprehensive regional air connectivity fund. Without effective Government action in the form of bespoke domestic Route Retention and Route Development Funds, residents across the UK could be left behind in our nation’s recovery and development, a situation that nobody wants or benefits from. 

Faced with these challenges, it is unacceptable that currently we have the highest passenger taxes in the world, it is clear that the sectors recovery is being burdened by an exceptionally high rate of Air Passenger Duty (APD). I know from engaging with stakeholders from across the industry, especially those based at Gatwick Airport in my constituency that a suspension or reduction in APD would be significantly welcomed across the industry and go a long way in making UK aviation and travel competitive again.

 As I wrote in my letter to the Home Secretary earlier this month, the Easter holidays represented a vital opportunity to finally kickstart the sector’s recovery. Instead, passengers were met with the real-life legacy of the pandemic, a shortage of staff and a continuing under resourcing of our Border Force. It is essential that the Home Secretary takes real, concrete, and collaborative action to ensure that all of our airports are properly resourced without any further delay to avoid our border being a brake on our recovery.  

Whilst I welcome the Aviation Minster’s recent announcement that the Government will be speeding up recruitment across the aviation industry, I believe there is still room for further support to prevent a return to delays and queues across the summer period.  These could include, but are no way limited to action to improve and bolster eGate software to ensure their use is as smooth as possible for passengers, whilst ensuring airports have a minimum protected number of Border Force Officers at all times. 

Above all else the Government needs to go further in its support for UK aviation and travel industries, only through engaging with industry stakeholders and businesses can we work to remove the competitive disadvantage and give our airlines and airports the tools they need to thrive post-Pandemic. 

The removal of the final travel restrictions was a powerful symbol that the UK is open for business. But to make this a reality we need a full aviation recovery plan, a plan that includes both industry and Government.  And we need it now.

This first appeared in the Airport Operators Magazine - https://www.aoa.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/AOA-Airport-Operator-Magazine-Spring-2022_25Apr2022.pdf