Gatwick Airport to host a second economic summit next year – following successful inaugural event
- Over 120 delegates from across the region attend the inaugural Gatwick Airport Economic Summit – ‘Local Economy. Global Opportunity.’
- Stakeholders discussed the creation of a regional identity that better defines and showcases the region to the rest of the world - helping it attract investment, diverse industries and jobs
- Gatwick Diamond Initiative also launched new inward investment platform at the event
Following the success of the inaugural Gatwick Airport Economic Summit (3 Nov), the airport has today announced that it will hold a second event next year.
Over 120 delegates - representing local authorities, businesses, developers, education providers, and business forums from across the South East - attended last week’s summit at the airport’s Hotel Sofitel.
Gatwick Airport instigated the summit to bring together key stakeholders to discuss driving long-term, sustainable economic growth, following the impact the pandemic had on the region.
A key focus of the event looked at how the region could better define and promote its economic identity, compete for inward investment, attract new, diverse industries and jobs, and secure its long-term economic prosperity.
This follows a major piece of research commissioned by Gatwick Airport earlier this year looking at how other successful Airport Economic Zones 1 (AEZs) across the world define, organise, and promote themselves. A speaker for Fairfax County Economic Development Authority, which neighbours Washington, D.C, also presented at the Summit.
Delegates heard keynote presentations from Gatwick CEO Stewart Wingate, Henry Smith MP and The Sunday Times’ Economics Editor David Smith, who revealed his economic predictions for London and the South East.
Other influential speakers included: Acting CEO of BA Euroflyer, Tom Stoddart, CEO of Sussex Chamber of Commerce, Ana Christie, and Chair of Coast to Capital LEP, Julie Kapsalis.
The event also saw the launch of the Gatwick Diamond Initiative’s new inward investment platform, with Gatwick Airport as a strategic partner.
Stewart Wingate, Chief Executive, London Gatwick Airport, said: “In addition to making a significant economic contribution to the region by supporting jobs, tourism and trade, Gatwick Airport is committed to being a partner and advocate for a thriving resilient local economy. This successful event demonstrated how a successful airport can support the wider economy.”
Henry Smith, MP for Crawley, said: “During the financial crisis we were grateful for Gatwick and during the COVID-19 pandemic we began to realise the importance of the airport. Gatwick really does represent the best of local and global opportunities. We need to find innovative ways of achieving sustainable growth for our local and global economies.”
NOTES
1Airport Economic Zones are airports and their surrounding regions that work together to better identify and promote themselves to attract inward investment, benefiting both airports and their regional economies.
For more information on Gatwick’s role in the local economy visit gatwickairport.com/economy
Gatwick is the UK’s second largest airport and is a vital piece of national infrastructure that helps drive both the regional and national economy. More than 40 airlines fly from the airport to over 150 short-haul and more than 45 long-haul destinations. The airport is focused on rebuilding and growing sustainably in the long term. It has ambitious plans to be a net zero airport by 2030 and increase capacity by bringing its Northern runway into routine use. VINCI Airports owns a 50.01% stake in the airport, with Global Infrastructure Partners managing the remaining 49.99% interest.
The world's leading private airport operator, VINCI Airports operates more than 65 airports in 12 countries in Europe, Asia and the Americas. Thanks to its expertise as a global integrator, VINCI Airports develops, finances, builds and manages airports by providing its investment capacity and its know-how in optimizing operational performance, modernizing infrastructures and managing their operations and environmental transition. VINCI Airports is the first airport operator to have committed to a global international environmental strategy in 2016, to achieve the goal of net zero emission across its entire network by 2050.
For more information :
GIP manages the remaining 49.99% interest in Gatwick and is a leading independent infrastructure fund manager that makes equity and debt investments in high quality infrastructure assets in the energy, transport, water/waste and digital infrastructure sectors. GIP manages US$84 billion for its investors. Its 46 portfolio companies have combined annual revenues of US$61 billion and employ nearly 100,000 employees. For more information on GIP please visit http://global-infra.com
