Airport jobs must be protected, says union

A “HUGE economic hole” worth over £1bn could open in the North East unless jobs at Newcastle International Airport are safeguarded.

That’s the stark warning from Unite, with the union demanding urgent Government action to stabilise the aviation industry crippled by Covid-19.

Flights from the airport, which supports around 19,000 jobs, were to resume today. More services will relaunch later in June.

However airlines have been hammered during the crisis, with fewer flights and passengers.

Firms, such as EasyJet, have already warned of huge job losses.

Now Unite has warned that unless the Government props the industry up – potentially with loans – jobs dependent on Newcastle airport, including crew, ground staff, engineers and retail workers will be swept away.

“If these jobs go, then a huge economic hole will open up in the Newcastle area and it could take decades to recover,” warned Unite regional officer Brian Cole.

In a statement, the airport renewed calls for the Government to take additional steps to boost the industry – including an early end to Government plans to quarantine new arrivals to Britain for two weeks.

The Government believes such a quarantine would reduce the risk of a potentially devastating second spike in deadly coronavirus cases

However critics say the measures would compound the hardship the industry has already endured during the first wave, with airports vital to helping Britain’s economy rebound.

Unite claims Newcastle International

Airport generates £1.16bn for the North East economy every year.

Of the 19,000 full-time jobs supported by the airport, 3,900 are linked directly to the airport’s operations.

“Overnight, airports were effectively shut down by the government to protect the public’s health, but we are now pleading with government to protect our area’s longterm economic security,” added Mr Cole.

”We are not asking for a giveaway, but for loans that will be repaid when the sector is back on its feet, and we have support for this from across the political spectrum.

”But the clock is ticking. It is more than two months since the chancellor promised that a support package would be forthcoming for aviation, however he has yet to deliver. The communities that rely on Newcastle airport for jobs and their prosperity cannot wait much longer.”

But passengers also won’t have to wait much monger to fly, with services to Amsterdam and Aberdeen resuming on June 1.

By the middle of the month, flights to other destinations - including Spain – are also expected to depart from Tyneside.

All passengers will still have to adhere to social distancing – and where masks inside the terminal – but bosses hailed the news as “critical to kick-starting the economy” as lockdown continues to be eased.

And addressing the union’s concerns, an airport spokesperson said: “We are in constant dialogue with Unite, our airlines, business partners and the Government during this crisis.

“We welcome the measures taken so far by the Government to support businesses through this difficult time but airports continue to call for Business Rates relief and an early end to the planned quarantining of inbound passengers, through the introduction of free movement between countries with low transmission levels.

“Despite the challenging situation, we look forward to welcoming passengers back to the Airport on Monday as KLM and Loganair resume their operations from Newcastle.”