As we reach the start of August, I know the thoughts of many people in Crawley will be turning to an upcoming week or two’s holiday.
A large number of those preparing for such a break will soon be heading to the very north of our borough’s boundary - Gatwick Airport!
It is, of course, Gatwick Airport which provides so much of our town’s prosperity and employment opportunities and I am acutely aware that these jobs for local residents – both direct and indirect – are closely linked with the performance of Gatwick.
It is both as Crawley MP, and Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for the Future of Aviation which I established during the Covid-19 pandemic, that last week I organised and sent an open letter to the Prime Minister calling for the introduction of duty-free shopping on arrival at airports, international rail and ferry terminals in Great Britain.
With the backing of more than 40 parliamentarians from right across the political spectrum, we are urging the Government to rectify the status quo which incentivises British nationals to spend money abroad – at the expense of British businesses in British airports.
I have also secured a debate in the House of Commons, scheduled for Wednesday 6th September, where I will reiterate the importance of bolstering Britain’s position with Government.
This is an issue of improving British competitiveness. Some 65 countries already have duty-free stores, including in Asia, the Middle East and Oceania, in addition to non-EU European nations such as Norway and Switzerland.
Polling has found that some 45 per cent of travellers see having to carry duty-free items on their flight as inconvenient. We know that if passengers can make such purchases when they arrive in Britain they would not only have a more seamless travel experience, but they would be more likely to make their purchases at British airports such as Gatwick.
There is a further somewhat practical point of allowing such purchases to be made on arrival in Britain. With passengers no longer needing to carry duty-free items onboard, this has the potential to reduce the weight of an aircraft, leading to a fall in aviation fuel requirements which helps the environment too.
In Parliament I continue to lead calls for the Government to ensure greater support for Sustainable Aviation Fuel and the aim of the aviation sector to reach Jet Zero: the commitment for UK domestic aviation to achieve net zero emissions by 2040, and for all airports in England to be zero-emission by then as well.
These policies are possible to enact now we have the Brexit freedoms to do so and we must realise them to benefit Crawley’s economy, British workers and travellers alike.
Henry Smith MP
