‘Action needed to rescue 860,000 aviation jobs’

Pilots are calling for urgent action to help aviation because of the “devastating” impact of the pandemic.

The British Airline Pilots Association (Balpa) said the UK aviation industry has been the hardest hit in Europe by restrictions on international travel.

Its analysis for June showed that the number of flights into and out of the UK fell by three-quarters on 2019.

The union said its study showed that Gatwick and Manchester airports were the worst affected in Europe, with Heathrow and Stansted close behind.

Some 860,000 jobs in UK aviation travel and tourism have been lost or are on furlough and are at risk of being lost, said Balpa.