The chief executive of the UK’s largest airport group has warned of tough decisions for parts of the UK airport industry, who may be forced to “act quickly to secure their future” after the Government announced an almost complete ban on international travel.
In an article written after the ban was confirmed on Saturday, MAG CEO Charlie Cornish said urgent Government support was needed to prevent further large-scale job losses across an industry already impacted by “chaotic changes in policy” throughout the pandemic.
MAG owns and operates Manchester, London Stansted and East Midlands airports.
Cornish said that Prime Minister Boris Johnson should offer an “urgent package of support” to aviation, pointing to dedicated support given to sectors like retail, hospitality and the rail industry, while aviation has been left to fend for itself.
He also bemoaned the fact that the industry learned of the new travel ban on social media. He wrote: “Twitter is not the place where you want to find out that the Government is effectively shutting down the business you run.”
Turning to the Government’s attitude to aviation, Cornish added: “The fact this development was not deemed worthy of mention in the PM’s address is symbolic of the way Government has neglected UK aviation…from day one of this pandemic.”
MAG, whose three major UK airports have remained open throughout the pandemic – and has recently begun a consultation proposing that up to 892 jobs at its airports will be sadly made redundant – has consistently called for more targeted support for aviation since the first lockdown decimated its passenger base in March.
Cornish said support should include relief from business rates – as enjoyed by airports in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland – and policing costs, as well as further support with employee costs and reform of passenger taxes to help UK airports win back routes lost during the pandemic.
Cornish wrote: “Our sector was one of the first hit by this pandemic and one of the hardest hit. Promises of specific support in recognition of this predicament were publicly made by government but never materialised. Tens of thousands of jobs have already been lost across the industry as a result of the situation we find ourselves in. An urgent package of support must materialise. That must include relief from business rates and policing costs.”
Without support, Cornish believes the sustainability of parts of the sector will be in question and “UK airports and airlines will need to decide quickly what they must do to secure their future until the situation improves.”
