YORK Outer MP Julian Sturdy came face-to-face with a Lynx helicopter when he paid a 'flying' visit to the Yorkshire Air Museum at Elvington.

The ex-Royal Navy helicopter, a 'veteran' of the Falklands war, is on loan to the museum from Selby firm Jet Art Aviation which restored it.

It will form part of a new exhibition at the museum opening on April 2 which will tell the story of the role played by aircraft in the war.

Mr Sturdy visited the museum to mark English Tourism Week, which ran from Friday March 18 to Sunday March 27.

The week aimed to shine the spotlight on a tourism industry which supports millions of jobs and local economies right across the country after what Mr Sturdy described as a 'difficult two years due to lockdowns and restrictions'.

The MP admitted he was 'spoilt for choice' in York when deciding which attraction to visit.

But he opted for the Yorkshire Air Museum which, during the pandemic, successfully bid for £312,000 from the Department for Culture, Media & Sport's cultural recovery fund and £134,000 from the National Lottery's Heritage Fund.

The money had 'enabled them to navigate prolonged closures while still planning to open an education centre as well as expanding into a second hangar allowing them to display more aircraft', Mr Sturdy said.

Reflecting on the state of the tourism sector, the MP said: "While it seems York has bounced back stronger than ever from the pandemic and the city is as busy as ever, it is important we do not get complacent and we continue to encourage tourists to return.

"In 2019, the overall economic benefit of tourism in Yorkshire was estimated to be worth £9 billion to our regional economy supporting 224,000 jobs, so clearly we must do all we can to show that York is open for business to ensure the last two years will only be a momentary dip.

"It was fantastic to hear the exciting plans that Yorkshire Air Museum have to expand their site and I am sure their new Falklands War exhibition will be a hit.

"The next few years should hopefully see more investment in York's tourist sector, with the expansion of the National Railway Museum and the development of the Roman Quarter adding an extra boost to our city's first-class reputation among tourists.

"As residents we must not forget what we have on our doorstep and I would encourage everyone to visit the Air Museum as well as all our city's other attractions."

As well as a tourist attraction, the Yorkshire Air Museum features memorials to the flight crew who were based at RAF Elvington during the Second World War. Initially, 77 Squadron Royal Air Force was based at Elvington including aircrew from Canada, New Zealand, South Africa and Australia. After they were transferred to Full Sutton two French squadrons were based at the airfield for the remainder of the war.