It was two years ago this month that isolated cases of Coronavirus started being recorded across the UK. Economies around the world have been severely impacted over the last two years, with those areas like our own that are centred on aviation, particularly badly impacted.
In 2020 our economy shrank by an unprecedented 9.4% with it rebounding strongly in 2021 with 7.5% growth. This rebound was the strongest in the major economies of the G7 and forecasts for this year indicate continuing our strong economic growth, with our economy now pretty much back to the same size it was in February 2020.
However, national figures mask the varying speeds of recovery in different sectors and those areas that rely on those sectors. International travel was always going to be slower to recover. While we can make our own rules here, other countries make rules according to their own circumstances which has an overall cumulative effect of complicating international travel.
Thankfully, our own rules relating to Covid-19 continue to be simplified and we are seeing that in other countries too. The UK recently scrapped coronavirus testing for fully vaccinated travellers and from this week, one of our key destinations, Spain, will be allowing non-fully vaccinated British 12-17-year-olds into the country with a negative PCR test.
I particularly welcome the tireless work and extensive lobbying that our MP Henry Smith has been doing throughout the pandemic to support our key aviation sector, notably through the Future of Aviation Group that he launched, as well as through the All-Party Parliamentary Group for the Future of Aviation.
Following the scrapping of UK testing requirements for fully vaccinated passengers, Gatwick Airport announced that the South Terminal is to reopen on Sunday 27th March after being closed for nearly two years. This is fantastic news and will be an incredible boost for Crawley and the wider area, just when we need it. Job recruitment is ongoing and there are more than 2,000 jobs still available for positions such as security officers, IT specialists, engineers, shop and restaurant workers, ground and cargo handlers and cabin crew.
Councillor Duncan Crow, Leader of Crawley Borough Council Conservative Group
16th February 2022
