A POTENTIAL coronavirus vaccine could help hard-hit economies recover to a “more normal level”, an MP has said.

Crawley MP Henry Smith welcomed the news that a potential Covid-19 vaccine could prevent more than 90 per cent of people from contracting the virus.

The Conservative said an effective vaccine could help get the area’s hard-hit economy back up and running.

Crawley, which relies heavily on Gatwick for employment, has struggled through the pandemic as the airport and tourism ground to a halt.

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He said: “The airlines are in a very difficult sate and if a vaccine is perfect, that can be rolled out to the majority of the population in a timely manner, many aspects of our economy can get back to normal.

“I am particularly excited about it because the impact on the aviation industry, particularly Gatwick Airport, has been severe.

“The Gatwick employment footprint is a pretty big and an effective vaccine would mean that we would get our economy back to a much more normal level of functioning. Which will be very welcome news for hard-hit industries like aviation and tourism which the Crawley economy is based on. It is a positive move in the right direction.”

This week, Norwegian furloughed more than 1,600 staff as the impact of the coronavirus crisis and travel restrictions continue to hit the industry hard.