Speaking during a TTG Agenda 2022 panel discussion, Tanzer said key to this would be advocating for roles – such as ground handling – to be declared of critical strategic importance to the country.

However, despite travel’s heightened profile, he said he didn’t expect the disruption that has made headlines for several months to have a lasting reputational impact.

"I think it will be short-term," said Tanzer. "I do, though, think it’s different in terms of the profile and the importance the travel sector now has in politicians’ minds. Coming through Covid and going into this summer, I think it [travel] is very highly visible on politicians agendas and we should capitalise on that."

Tanzer said he welcomed plans for a cross-departmental aviation council, suggesting it highlighted greater recognition that aviation and international travel issues don’t always "sit comfortably" within the Department for Transport alone.

He continued: "I think some of the roles – such as ground handling – need to be designated as critical roles. There is a general shortage of labour across all sectors. The government needs to prioritise critical, strategic roles and when it comes to making sure there is a flow of labour into them, they are prioritised.

"We mustn’t waste the profile travel has got at the moment on the political side while trying to keep the public presentation a bit lower-key and [the message] that normal service is being resumed."

His comments came amid a series of major rail strikes – walkouts that prompted business minister Paul Scully to suggest the government look at imposing minimum service levels on the travel sector, which could limit the ability of those in key roles to strike.

None of the panel – Tanzer, Airport Operators Association chief executive Karen Dee or Airlines UK chief executive Tim Alderslade – would be drawn on such measures for aviation roles, but Tanzer said it was high time there was a designated minister, or a minister with designated responsibility, for international travel.

"It does cross various departments, and sometimes you feel there is no one within government whose specific responsibility it is to make sure this [labour] continues to flow," said Tanzer. "Free movement of labour is a big issue; it was an issue around us leaving the EU. It’s not simple, but I think we need someone [with whom] the arguments will fall on fertile ground within government.”

Dee said pandemic highlighted the importance of essential connectivity, even at a time when people aren’t allowed to travel. "You need goods to travel, you need aviation to continue to work," she said.

"For aviation to continue to work, that does mean allowing some people to travel. I do think that has helped with the recognition of the role aviation plays more generally to the economy and it’s not just sort of nice to have, it’s actually essential."

‘Licence to grow’

Alderslade said neither industry nor the DfT adequately advocated across all of Whitehall the strategic importance of aviation. "It all focused far too much – and this was a real frustration at the time – on holidays," he said. "Holidays are hugely important, but there is a huge other part of aviation that is connectivity, business, exports, levelling up, regional airports, supporting the union.

"I don’t think we advocated that clearly enough. I think that is a frustration across government as well. When we consider aviation and when you speak to other departments, the response you get is going to be to the Department for Transport. You don’t have that cross-Whitehall collective understanding of aviation in the way some other sectors do.

"The aviation council will hopefully start to address some of these areas. It’s important we’ve got ministers across Whitehall who will attend. We need to make sure it focuses on the right issues moving forwards."

Alderslade added that chief among these would be sustainability and ensuring the sector "has a licence to grow" within tighter, more stringent sustainability requirements. "That is going to be absolutely critical," he said.

"As is bringing more people into the sector, skills, recruitment – we don’t have enough people in aviation right now. It’s fairly clear the government doesn’t want to look at the EU as a source of relief, they’ve made that clear.

"So what can we do to get more people wanting to come into aviation and aerospace? I understand the focus on the short-term and getting through this summer, but there are some really meaty structural and strategic issues facing us and I think getting all of government considering those would be particularly pleasing over the next year or so."