AOA Summer 2021 Magazine
The West Midlands has been one of the UK regions most affected by the coronavirus pandemic, with the region at risk of losing more than a quarter of its jobs in the aviation and aerospace sectors, according to the West Midlands Combined Authority
I n the first half of 2020 the region’s GDP fell by over 25%. Aviation and aerospace have historically been key sectors for the region, employing 45,000 people directly and across supply chains. Of these, around 7,000 people have in normal times been employed either on-site at the airport or within its immediate vicinity.
Pre-Covid the airport generated £1.1bn towards the regional economy, supporting over 25,000 jobs, directly and through supply chains. The dramatic fall in the airport’s 2020 passenger numbers was a significant contributor to the fall of the region’s visitor economy last year, with the number of visits down from 134m to 48m and spending falling from £13bn to less than £5bn. Only a partial recovery is forecast for this year, with the number of visits expected to be around 72m and spending forecast to be just over £7bn.
