Importance of Aviation

Airports are gateways to the world and vital for business activity and leisure travel. The economic benefits of aviation are undisputable. In its 2006 report, Oxford Economic Forecasting (OEF), one of the country's leading independent economic analyst groups states:

The aviation industry contributed £11.4 billion to the GDP in 2004 - that's 1.1% of the overall UK economy
It directly employed 186,000 people in 2004 and up to 520,000 indirectly
Conservatively, the industry contributed £3.6 billion to the Exchequer in 2004/05.

Tourism is clearly important for the UK, supporting around two million jobs in the UK. In 2006, a total of 4.4 billion passengers travelled by air.

Nearly three-quarters of international visitors to the UK arrive by air. Spending by these visitors is equivalent to 1.1% of GDP
Tourism makes a large and growing contribution to the economy - nearly 4% of GDP
Air services allow UK tourists to visit a wider range of overseas holidays than would otherwise be possible.

Aviation and the benefits and services it provides are vital for UK business and trade:

Aviation plays a key role in UK trade. 55% of the UK's export of manufactured goods to countries outside the EU is by air
90% of companies in London or close to Heathrow says the airport is either vital or very important to their organisation
Nearly one in ten companies report that the absence of good air transport links has affected their decision to invest in the UK.

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