Routes to NY, Mumbai and Shanghai 'must be nurtured ' - mayor

Establishing routes to New York, Mumbai and Shanghai must be nurtured, mayor of the West Midlands, Andy Street, said this week during an exclusive Solihull Chamber of Commerce webinar.

During the virtual event, which took place on Tuesday, Mr Street (pictured), former boss of John Lewis, explained to Chamber members how he thinks the aviation industry will bounce back later in the year.

He expects summer holiday flights to bounce back “fairly quickly ” during the peak of the summer holidays. But for long-haul destinations, Mr Street said that flights to power economies, such as New York, Mumbai and Shanghai, must be nurtured.

He said: “I actually think the short-haul, summer holiday flights, maybe not immediately in May and June, but I think when we get to the peak of the summer, they will probably bounce back fairly quickly actually. That 's what people like Michael O 'Leary, Easy Jet and co were all saying

“I think that if it is deemed to be safe and permissible I think actually there will be pent up demand for that. I think that it will bounce back.

“By far the bigger issue for Birmingham airport though is re-establishing the long-haul flights.

“Now some of them, like Delhi, will probably come back naturally anyway, but what we have got to do in this post-Brexit world is we 've got to think about where are the long-haul destinations that we really need to nurture. The three priorities for me would be New York, Mumbai and Shanghai.

“I went to Shanghai with the airport at the back end of 2019, we made a commercial proposal but events overtook us.

“Mumbai - we think we can make a proposal to Air India and of course the airport team know they have got to sort out New York.

“That will take time, skill and putting it bluntly, probably a bit of subsidy to get those to be up and running but I think it is absolutely critical that those three, probably the three world super power economies of the future, that we are directly linked to them at Birmingham. ”

During the event, hosted by Chamber president Robert Elliot and incoming Chamber president Tony Elvin, Mr Street also urged government to “convey a message of certainty ” by guaranteeing that large events can take place again later in the year.

He also praised Solihull Council for its speed in distributing Covid business grants and being able to “think big ” on key projects, such as the Arden Cross Development.

To watch the webinar in full, scroll down�