Regional focus
visitors, and the UK and other nations have tightened restrictions again at short notice, with enormous knock-on effects for the travel industry. “There are huge challenges ahead of us and significant changes we all will need to make,” Holland- Kaye stressed. “My message is that we should harness that spirit of joint effort that saw us through the worst of Covid to overcome the hurdles in front of us. Aviation is a force for good in the world and the unity we’ve demonstrated over the past two years is a powerful force that we should harness and build on.”
Recruitment drive
A crucial step towards recovery will be rebuilding the UK aviation industry’s workforce. “No sector of the economy has been harder hit by the pandemic than ours and we will be the last to fully recover,” Holland- Kaye remarked. It’s estimated that about one in four jobs in UK aviation was lost in the pandemic. The first task towards that goal will involve upskilling the UK’s existing teams. “I always knew that our sector was full of talented and committed individuals, but it isn’t until you give people the chance to step up under severe pressure that you see just what they can deliver,” Holland-Kaye said. “Upskilling the talent we already have to unlock their full potential has to be our starting point. But even as we upskill our existing colleagues, we will still need more people to support our passengers on their journeys as they return.”
In mid-November 2021, Heathrow announced its recruitment drive for over 600 new frontline roles, including security officers and engineers, to ensure the airport is well equipped to handle a predicted rise
in passenger numbers ahead of summer 2022. The new security and engineering jobs will be among the first frontline roles to have been created at Heathrow since the start of the pandemic, with new recruits set to undergo an extensive training programme to achieve the required security accreditations. The UK’s aviation industry will have to look not just at the talent pools they are used to tapping into, but also into new places, as Heathrow are currently in the middle of doing. “As we recruit, we have a chance to drive a step-change in the diversity of our teams. Our goal is to have every level of our organisation reflect our local communities,” Holland-Kaye said. However, the competition for people is fierce – even within the UK, the difficulties faced by the aviation industry over the past two years has led to a considerable brain drain to other areas. “Many who would be a natural fit for the roles we have available have moved on to other sectors or are worried about taking a job in travel for fear that restrictions could come back,” Holland-Kaye acknowledged.
Invest in SAF
Another area of focus for Heathrow is reducing carbon emissions and advocating for the rest of the industry to do the same. At the start of 2020, the UK aviation sector became the first in the world to commit to net zero by 2050, with Heathrow playing a key role. In addition to recently incorporating the first shipment of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) into its fuel supply system, all of the airport’s infrastructure runs on 100% renewable electricity, with plans under way to switch away from gas heating at the airport by the mid-2030s, becoming fully zero carbon.
£3.4bn
Heathrow Airport’s lost revenue due to Covid-19.
Heathrow Airport
Future Airport /
www.futureairport.com
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