Heathrow closure and Chancellor’s Spring Statement
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dhewitt@abta.co.uk Thu, 03/27/2025 - 08:36
Two very different news events have been affecting our industry this week, one with an immediate impact, the other longer term.
The enforced shutdown of Heathrow last Friday saw hundreds of thousands of people’s flights cancelled and their travel plans severely disrupted. In very difficult circumstances, ABTA members did their customary, professional, excellent work looking after customers and making new travel arrangements.
The unexpected closure of our largest airport created widespread interest and, naturally, the media turned to ABTA for reliable consumer advice and expert comment. ABTA spokespeople appeared on national and local TV and radio, including the Today programme, Radio 4's PM, BBC News, Sky News and ITV ensuring that informed, balanced comment was on offer.
ABTA will continue to raise the importance of resilience within our aviation system with the ministers, officials, regulators and other stakeholders holding responsibilities in this crucial area.
Yesterday’s Spring Statement by the Chancellor made no new announcements directly affecting travel, but indicated that the economic outlook is for lower growth than anticipated.
ABTA's research shows that people are willing to ringfence spending on holidays as much as they can and cut back on other areas first. This, together with a forecast that growth will improve in 2026, gives us reasons to hope for a continuing healthy travel and tourism sector.
Mark Tanzer, Chief Executive
Continue reading...
Full Page image
dhewitt@abta.co.uk Thu, 03/27/2025 - 08:36
Two very different news events have been affecting our industry this week, one with an immediate impact, the other longer term.
The enforced shutdown of Heathrow last Friday saw hundreds of thousands of people’s flights cancelled and their travel plans severely disrupted. In very difficult circumstances, ABTA members did their customary, professional, excellent work looking after customers and making new travel arrangements.
The unexpected closure of our largest airport created widespread interest and, naturally, the media turned to ABTA for reliable consumer advice and expert comment. ABTA spokespeople appeared on national and local TV and radio, including the Today programme, Radio 4's PM, BBC News, Sky News and ITV ensuring that informed, balanced comment was on offer.
ABTA will continue to raise the importance of resilience within our aviation system with the ministers, officials, regulators and other stakeholders holding responsibilities in this crucial area.
Yesterday’s Spring Statement by the Chancellor made no new announcements directly affecting travel, but indicated that the economic outlook is for lower growth than anticipated.
ABTA's research shows that people are willing to ringfence spending on holidays as much as they can and cut back on other areas first. This, together with a forecast that growth will improve in 2026, gives us reasons to hope for a continuing healthy travel and tourism sector.
Mark Tanzer, Chief Executive
Continue reading...
