Gatwick airport has been one of the biggest success stories in Sussex during the last half century.

It has developed from a minor airport into one of the biggest in the world still operating on a single runway.

The huge expansion has resulted in thousands of jobs being created, making it an employment hot spot in Sussex.

But atrocities in America and the economic downturn are starting to have an impact on the airport economy.

Last week, British Airways announced a major contraction of services and now it emerges that baggage handling jobs are also at stake.

Many people are refusing to fly following the hijacking of planes for suicide missions into the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon.

Their fears are understandable but flying is generally much safer than most other forms of transport, including driving cars.

By giving up flying, people are unwittingly giving in to the forces of terrorism which want to disrupt normal lives in this and other countries.

Regrettably, some companies may also be using the atrocities to reduce services as a result of the general fall in business.

They should follow the example of cut-price operator Ryanair, which is offering more bargain fares than ever in a bid to drum up business and create more rather than fewer jobs.