Gatwick Airport’s recovery is good news for the region
journeys for passengers from the large Indian communities inLondonandtheSouthEast,to visit friends and family in India.
This is just another sign Gatwick and the surrounding economy are getting back to where they were before the pandemic. But there are still global factors affecting who businesses are performing, such as the Cost of Living crisis.
We caught up with Brett North, chairman of the Gatwick Diamond, at the launch of the Lufthansa flights at the airport and he was very positive with how the area is getting back to full recovery, but understands there is still a way to go.
He said: “It’s an interesting time at the moment. We have lots of businesses doing well and we have some businesses in some sectors, understandably with the Cost of Living pressures, are having a difficult time but they are adapting to move on.
"The issue for us actually, and most businesses I talk to, is trying to find the right staff with the right qualifications so there is a number of issues like that. But we are seeing the economy bounce back, particularly locally.
“If you go back to where we were in the middle of the pandemic to where we are now it’s been very strong, but there is still a away to go but it’s still a very vibrant economic region and we are starting to get interest from outside the region including politicians who are saying the Gatwick Diamond has a lot going on, we should be thinking more about it.
"We are very good with local businesses and groups coming all together to promote the Diamond and that is a real strength.”
And Mr North is delighted to see the connectivity extended at Gatwick with not only the Lufthansa and Air China announcements but also news Delta is returning to the airport, along with Air China.
“Forlocalbusinessesandthe Gatwick Diamond is that Frankfurt is a really important city for getting around Germany.
"It’s got great rail connections but also the connection routes it has going to markets such as Asia, Africa and other areas where we seeing businesses really looking to develop and grow, certainly post-Brexit where we are looking out how more international we can do and what businesses we can attract.
“We have a number of businesses in the Diamond who either have a number of businesses there or have actually got facilities there as well.
"They are already trying to send staff there or connect so there is already cross-pollination going on between those points so a really key route for us.
“It’s very interesting to see the new routes come on. India is really, really important and that is an area that we needed to see recover. It’s going to be, if it isn’t already, the world’s most populous country. It’s a great opportunity to do business in India and there are a lot of connections there, so that was really important.
“Now we are seeing China reopen and we are seeing business opportunities come there as well which is critical. We are seeing things get bigger and better and move on. We need to grow dry growth in the region, we need to see opportunities for business and export to new markets and that’s why Frankfurt is so important.”
Jonathan Pollard, chief commercialofficerGatwickAirport, said: “The years of Covid now start, at long last, feel like something ago.
“As an airport we have got our mojo back. It feels normal, we are looking ahead to a very busy summer season which is another sign of normality. It’s a good time to be at Gatwick.”