The UK aviation sector is worth £52 billion in overall GDP, supports 960,000 jobs and contributes £8.7 billion in taxation to the Treasury, according to a new study.
The report commissioned by leading players in aviation shows that all three elements of the sector’s contribution to the UK economy have grown.
Its contribution to GDP is £51.966 billion, which equates to 3.4% of the whole UK economy, with the largest single contribution coming from airports and ground services, closely followed by aerospace and then airlines.
The contribution to UK employment is 961,000 jobs (3.3% of the UK total), with airports and ground services contributing 433,000 jobs, aerospace 327,000 jobs and airlines 200,000 jobs.
The aviation sector’s direct tax contribution (excluding corporation tax) is £8.683 billion.
Those figures, for 2012, are all higher than comparable earlier data for 2009, which showed a contribution to GDP of £49.6 billion, to jobs of 921,000 and to direct taxation of £7.9 billion.
AOA’s CEO Darren Caplan, said: “These figures underline once more just how important a growing aviation sector is to the performance of the UK economy.
“Our sector is a significant asset to UK plc, whether you measure the contribution in terms of GDP, jobs or overall tax-take.
“Add to that the part that it plays in helping other sections of the economy to grow and in connecting UK companies to new and exciting markets at home and overseas and it is easy to see that aviation is a major force for good that can be relied on to play a growing role in the economic recovery,” Caplan said.
Nathan Stower, CEO of the British Air Transport Association, the trade body for UK airlines, said: “The UK is lucky to have such a competitive, dynamic and vibrant airline sector – offering choice and value to the travelling public and businesses alike.
“This report clearly illustrates the importance of the UK airline industry and the crucial role it plays in supporting economic growth and jobs, delivering mail and goods, linking friends and families around the world and allowing people to take holidays.”
The study was carried out by Oxford Economics.