NEWS


PREMIER CREW: Premier Travel has seen a “positive response” to its newest high street branch, which is a former Baldwins Travel outlet in Tenterden. The agency chain celebrated the official opening of the Kent location last week, following a successful soft launch at the end of March. Customers, supplier partners and members of the community joined the agents to celebrate the opening, which is part of Premier’s continued expansion in the southeast. Paul Waters, managing director, said the branch had already seen a “positive response” from local residents, with familiar faces from the previous agency continuing to serve customers under the Premier Travel brand. Pictured, from left, are travel consultant Sienna Lucas, manager Louise Oliver, Premier Travel director Steve Cox and travel consultant Rebecca Weeks.


All parts of travel ‘need consulting’ on fuel shortage contingency plans


Ian Taylor


Industry associations have called on the government to ensure all elements of the travel supply and delivery chain are considered in contingency plans designed to mitigate the impact of the Iran war. Fears that a jet fuel shortage


could bite from the end of May led the government to relax airport slot rules to allow airlines to consolidate schedules and cancel flights in advance rather than wait for fuel supplies to run low – a move welcomed by airlines and Abta as providing some reassurance to travellers. However, Abta called for agents


and operators to be included in detailed planning discussions and aviation sources backed calls from airport ground handlers to consider the consequences of cancelling flights on airport operations. Aviation Services UK, the


travelweekly.co.uk STORY TOP


ground handlers’ association, wrote to aviation minister Keir Mather a month ago warning that flight cancellations could not be sustained for long without significant lay-offs of workers since “when flights do not operate, revenues cease”. At the time, the impact was largely confined to services to and from the Middle East. But the letter warned: “If rising fuel costs lead to further significant flight cancellations, the challenge could extend across . . . the


UK’s airports [and] handlers may struggle to retain their workforce.” The letter recalled the sector’s


difficult recovery from Covid and urged the government to work with the industry “to prevent this happening again”. The government has yet to respond. An aviation source warned: “This


is serious and there is no excuse for not having a plan. We see the risks


starting to crystallise. We know the likely consequences. If airlines withdraw flights from schedules, people will no longer be paid. The more flights are cancelled, the more ground-handling jobs are at risk. “The slots relaxation means we’re in the foothills of cancellations.” Aviation Services UK chief


executive David Leighton said: “No one wants to see a repeat of the disruption that followed Covid, but that means we need a plan to protect ground-handling capacity. If the government abandons ground handlers during this crisis, it abandons passengers when flights resume.” The calls for broad industry


engagement came as uncertainty continued to surround the state of the US-Iran conflict and as a consumer- sentiment tracker by The Harris Poll researchers for Travel Weekly found increased short-term hesitancy towards booking travel despite a high rate of intention to travel in the longer term.


The Harris Poll research found 20% of UK adults ‘very likely’ to travel abroad on holiday in the next three months and 36% ‘likely’ to, rising to 21% very likely and 39% likely within six months and 46% likely within 12 months. However, Harris Poll managing


director Sarah Beams noted: “Multiple concerns are shaping travel decisions, with 45% worried about the cost of living, 35% concerned about safety and security, 31% about disruption and 27% about flight prices or availability. Only around 14% say they would travel regardless.” When researchers asked


the same question in March, 47% cited geopolitical tensions as their main concern. Beams said: “UK travellers still


plan to go abroad, but they want to feel more certainty before they commit.” The Harris Poll surveyed


1,006 UK adults on April 22-28. i Analysis, back page


7 MAY 2026 5


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