The importance of domestic and international travel to the economic prospects of individual businesses and the wider economy is highlighted in a new report by WPI Strategy. The report reveals the majority of UK business leaders see air travel as key to their future economic prospects and would return to the skies if quarantine measures were eased.
According to new polling of 515 business leaders by Survation contained within the report:
- 64% of UK business leaders see air travel as key to their future prospects
- 88% of leaders of businesses with over 250 employees believe air travel is important to the future success of their business
- 48% thought that the government’s travel and quarantine restrictions was the single biggest barrier to business air travel
- 76% believe that airport testing would increase confidence when travelling
Robert Sinclair, CEO London City Airport: “We sincerely hope that the Global Travel Taskforce both acknowledges how fundamental business travel is and moves quickly to introduce a roadmap for aviation which sets out how a testing regime can be implemented quickly. Doing so could deliver a much-needed shot in the arm for business air travel, boosting economic growth across every region and every sector.”
The Chief Executive of London City Airport, Robert Sinclair, has urged the new Global Travel Taskforce to move quickly to get business air travel up and running again. Welcoming the creation of the Taskforce as a positive first step forward, Sinclair said that he hoped the group would “acknowledge the fundamental importance of business air travel to the economic recovery prospects of the UK and other sectors such as hospitality and leisure.”
Sinclair, supported by a range of industry and political voices, urged the Taskforce to move with the utmost speed, setting out a clear roadmap for the introduction of a testing regime which would ultimately lead to the elimination of quarantine. This call is also supported by KLM, which operates services from its global hub in Amsterdam to 15 airports across the UK.
“The UK aviation industry is the third-largest in the world and a global success story,” says Sinclair. “But it is not just an industry itself, it also acts as an enabler of other industries such as trade, tourism, hospitality, imports, exports and conferences. We know the demand for air travel is there, but restrictive quarantine measures are currently holding business leaders back from flying, and the UK economy from beginning its recovery.
“We sincerely hope that the Global Travel Taskforce both acknowledges how fundamental business travel is and moves quickly to introduce a roadmap for aviation which sets out how a testing regime can be implemented quickly. Doing so could deliver a much-needed shot in the arm for business air travel, boosting economic growth across every region and every sector.”
New data within the report also underlines the importance of domestic aviation to the UK economy. Before the outbreak of the pandemic, the total value of domestic aviation in the UK was in the order of £15 billion (€16.5bn).
Proportionate to passenger numbers, the authors breakdown the impact of domestic aviation on GDP by UK regions and nations as in the order of:
- Scotland: £4bn (€4.4bn)
- North-East: £300m (€330m)
- North-West: £1bn (€1.1bn)
- Northern Ireland: £2bn (€2.2bn)
- South-West: £700m (€770m)
- London: £4bn (€4.4bn)
- Midlands: £500m (€550m)
- Wales (just Cardiff): £80m (€88m)
Sinclair is backed by business leaders and politicians from across the UK, who are concerned that the government’s plans for levelling up the country and increasing the UK’s trade links could be at risk without a speedy introduction of testing.
Warner Rootliep, Managing Director, KLM Cityhopper, says: “KLM has a longstanding commitment to serve the UK regions. We have rebuilt our regional presence in the UK over the last few months, reopening all routes. Connecting the UK regions to the world through our hub in AMS is of vital importance to the regional economy of these communities, especially in these challenging times. We hope the Taskforce will be able to define a roadmap that will allow us to eliminate the quarantine measures and reinstall travel confidence so that we can continue to rebuild our regional frequencies that is so vital for the regional economy.”
A new report by WPI Strategy reveals that UK business leaders see air travel as key to their future economic prospects and would return to the skies if quarantine measures were eased. Robert Sinclair, CEO London City Airport, has urged the new Global Travel Taskforce to move quickly to get business air travel up and running again.
