UK airports are calling for the government to provide financial support to allow them to attract back international airlines after the pandemic.
The Airport Operators Association (AOA) made the plea in response to a report on the recovery of the UK’s aviation sector by the House of Commons’ Transport Committee, which criticised the way the government had managed international travel rules during the Covid-19 crisis.
AOA chief executive Karen Dee said: “We join the committee in calling for a comprehensive recovery package that allows our sector to recover sustainably and prevents the UK from falling behind our international competitors.
“This must include financial measures to help bring routes back across the UK, or we risk losing out to European airports who are financially better placed to attract airlines thanks to generous sector-specific government support during the pandemic.
“If government does not deliver this, the impacts are clear: people and businesses who depend on aviation for their own success will carry the heaviest burden, particularly outside London and the south-east of England.”
The government has been urged to publish its long-awaited aviation recovery plan as a “priority” by the transport committee.
Tim Alderslade, CEO of Airlines UK, said that while the aviation industry was set for a “bumper” summer, carriers still faced financial challenges due to the impact of the pandemic.
“We can’t lose sight of the fact the sector has been through its worst-ever crisis and it will take several years to deal with the debt airlines had to take on to make it through the pandemic with no passengers,” he added.
“We need the aviation strategy to focus ruthlessly on the areas where they can really make a difference, including setting the policy framework that will allow the sector to introduce and invest in sustainable aviation fuels at scale, and modernising the UK’s airspace as quickly as possible to further progress our net zero commitments.”