Catherine McKinnell,  Member of Parliament for Newcastle North has today joined over 80 parliamentarians in calling for greater support for the aviation, travel and tourism industries following the recent closure of all travel corridors.

In a letter to the Prime Minister, organised by the All-Party Parliamentary Group for the Future of Aviation Catherine has acknowledged that the latest restrictions were a necessary measure to protect the UK public from the spread of new variants of COVID-19 but highlight that these industries need urgent support to recover from the devastating impacts of the pandemic.

Catherine has joined calls for a comprehensive ‘Aviation, Travel and Tourism Recovery Package’ to provide immediate financial and additional support alongside a pathway to allow aviation to come out of these restrictions when safe to do so.

Commenting, Catherine said:

“The closure of all travel corridors is a necessary measure to protect the public from new variants of COVID-19 but will be another significant blow to industries which have faced the pandemic without the same levels of support afforded to other sectors.

“Our aviation, travel and tourism industries have been amongst the hardest hit by the pandemic sadly leading to job losses and leaving our world class aviation industry a shadow of its former self.

“Newcastle Airport is not only vital to our local economy here in Newcastle, but to our ability to bounce back as a region from the devastating impacts of the pandemic and it is vital that the Government listen to our call and support and protect the businesses, their supply chains, employees, and communities who have borne the brunt of the near total collapse of UK passenger numbers.

“Our aviation, travel and tourism sectors are running on empty, and I urge the Prime Minster to back these vital industries and deliver the support they so desperately need and deliver it now.”

You can read the letter here: