Over 100 airport jobs at risk as pandemic takes toll on finances
MORE THAN 100 jobs are at risk at Leeds Bradford Airport because of the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
Consultation has begun over 108 redundancies, unions said.
LBA said the cuts were necessary for the business to survive the short- term impact of the crisis, but the decision was separate to its “long term aspirations” for the airport, which is set for a £ 150m expansion.
A spokesperson said: “We are deeply saddened to be consulting with a number of colleagues due to the impact of the global pandemic. Like most businesses, we are operating in extraordinary circumstances and this has led to some difficult decisions.
“The long- term prognosis for aviation is very different to the short- term constraints our business faces and we regrettably must act to safeguard the business.”
The pandemic has hit the aviation industry hard and campaigners in Leeds have previously called on authorities to help people find jobs outside the aviation industry.
GMB Organiser, Rachel Dix, said the announcement was “regrettably not unexpected in the absence of meaningful Government intervention”.
The GMB represents 61 security staff, of whom 20 are at risk, as well as six supervisors.
She said: “The lack of flights today mirrors the limited movement of passengers in March of this year.
“We have come full circle, back to the peak of the crisis in aviation but now, from the end of this month, there is no furlough to support airport staff and JSS ( job support scheme) is not fit for purpose.
“GMB has been calling on the Government to deliver a bespoke financial package for the aviation sector from day one. Seven months on and they are still sitting on their hands.”
The International Civil Aviation Organization estimates that 2020 will see the number of seats on world scheduled passenger traffic halve – a fall of around 2,900 million passengers.
It predicts a further fall of between 34 per cent and 47 per cent of seats in the first quarter of next year.