JET2.COM and Jet2holidays hosted a fringe event at the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool this week, to discuss UK-wide economic growth.
The event’s speakers included CEO Steve Heapy and Tracy Brabin, Mayor of West Yorkshire.
The tour operator and airline, which is based at Leeds Bradford Airport, presented its own manifesto for economic growth.
The manifesto discussed economic stability, sustainability, support for British businesses, upskilling, and rewards for working people.
As well as outlining Jet2’s pledges across those areas, the manifesto made recommendations to the government to boost the economy and ensure affordable holidays.
Mr Heapy claimed that Jet2, as the only airline based in northern England, is in a unique position to aid government efforts for economic growth; he also noted the airline’s tenfold increase in revenue over the past decade, and its employment of more than 15,000 people.
The manifesto suggestions included “putting economic stability first and ruling out demand management measures that impact working people”; using the National Wealth Fund to invest in a sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) industry; providing SAF price differential support through cost reductions in the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS); ringfencing ETS contributions to support decarbonisation; and reforming the apprenticeship levy to “kick-start a skills revolution.”
Mr Heapy said: “Jet2 is a proven British success story which takes millions of hardworking Brits on holiday every year, employs over 15,000 people in fantastic careers across the UK, and continues to invest into our operations to power up Britain.
“We are uniquely positioned to help the new government deliver growth across the UK, and it was great to host this event and enjoy positive discussions at the Conference around how to achieve this.
“By putting economic stability first and ruling out the introduction of additional demand management measures, the government can help continue to deliver joy to holidaymakers whilst providing certainty and opportunity to investors in British business too.
“The introduction of more regulatory and tax burdens on our industry would not only impact consumer demand, making travel an activity for the rich and privileged, but it would also impact the ability of our sector to contribute to the economic growth of the UK.”
Regarding SAF, Mr Heapy said: “The potential reward from seizing the opportunity to build a new clean industry and drive regional growth is huge, with a future UK SAF industry providing 20,000 jobs and £3bn in economic activity by 2035, with most clusters in industrial heartlands.”
More information is available at https://www.jet2.com/