Further airport job fears amid Thomas Cook shockwaves
UNIONS RALLY AS GROUND SERVICES FIRM ANNOUNCES DEPARTURE
MORE than 350 jobs could be lost at Manchester Airport after a ground services firm announced it was pulling out due to the crash of holiday firm Thomas Cook.
Aviator employs 351 people at the airport involved in passenger, baggage and cargo handling - as well as security and de-icing of planes.
Bosses have announced they ‘regrettably anticipate ceasing all operations’ at the airport following Thomas Cook’s demise.
The travel agent, which went into liquidation two weeks ago with loss of 9,000 jobs, made up 70 per cent of Aviator’s business in Manchester.
Talks are now taking place with Aviator staff to explore the possibility of a transfer of some jobs to other companies working at the airport.
Union bosses described the move as a ‘devastating blow for staff and the local economy.’
Unite regional officer Mike Gaskell said: “It’s very important from our point of view that the Thomas Cook slots at the airport are filled as quickly as possible.
“Because the work should come back and the people who have lost their jobs should be in prime position to fill those roles.
“Aviator staff are dedicated, they’ve got good experience, they’ve got a good reputation.
“We are doing all we can to push that process forward.”
Gary Beswick, an Aviator employee and Unite rep, said the news had come as a shock to staff. He added: “We thought we were doing pretty well.
“Most of the staff were very upset. Most of them have been there from the start.”
Mr Gaskell said the union was anticipating further knock-on effects from Thomas Cook’s demise.
He added: “We knew there would be a second wave and even a third wave of redundancies [after Thomas Cook’s liquidation].
“But we hope there are no other job losses and that the blow can be absorbed by companies, but we are anticipating further bad news in the weeks and months to come.”
A spokesperson for Aviator said: “Today Aviator is announcing that it regrettably anticipates ceasing all operations at Manchester airport. Aviator’s likely last day of service to customers in Manchester will be Tuesday, October 22.
“This is another unfortunate outcome stemming from Thomas Cook’s recent liquidation. Thomas Cook was our largest customer, accounted for approximately 70% of our service in Manchester and despite our efforts over the past two weeks, we have concluded that we cannot operate as a viable business supporting only our remaining customers.
“This proposal has not been made lightly and follows our exploration of several other solutions to continue our operations in Manchester which we began in earnest upon learning of Thomas Cook’s liquidation.”
They added they would like to ‘recognise and thank’ their Manchester staff.