‘UK aviation is facing a death spiral’, pilots' union warns

UK aviation is in “a death spiral” and in need of immediate government support to save jobs, the British Airline Pilots’ Association (Balpa) has warned. Brian Strutton, general secretary of the pilots’ union, has written to the chancellor, Rishi Sunak, to demand a moratorium on job losses in aviation. Since the coronavirus pandemic took hold, passenger aviation to, from and within the UK has dropped by around 95%. BA last week revealed plans to make 12,000 of its 32,000 staff redundant, including around 30 per cent of its pilots. BA has warned it may close its base at London Gatwick. Further job losses are expected to be announced by other UK airlines this week, in addition to pay cuts for pilots of up to 70%, according to Balpa. The union has accused airlines of “deliberate exploitation of the situation”. Hundreds of airline staff lost their jobs when the regional airline Flybe collapsed in early March, just as Covid-19 started to deplete passenger numbers. Strutton said: “Government has not recognised the crisis in aviation and has not done enough to prevent what is now happening: a death spiral that could severely damage UK aviation. Balpa will not stand by and watch the industry crumble – or allow airlines to use this as a chance to make unfair redundancies, or make unnecessary reductions to terms and conditions."<br/>