Gatwick to cut a quarter of its staff as part of restructuring

London’s Gatwick airport has announced plans to cut up to a quarter of its workforce as part of a major restructuring following a collapse in passenger numbers. The UK’s second-busiest airport is entering consultations with about 600 staff, and said it was in talks with the government over further support for the aviation industry which is reeling from the impact of the pandemic. Located about 25 miles south of central London, Gatwick has been hit particularly hard by the crisis, and 75% of its staff are on the state-backed furlough scheme. With the airport having already announced 785 job cuts, it will be left with about 1,900 staff following this restructuring, down from 3,300 before the pandemic. “If anyone is in any doubt about the devastating impact Covid-19 has had on the aviation and travel industry then today’s news . . . is a stark reminder, said Stewart Wingate, Gatwick’s CE. Virgin Atlantic has closed its operations at the airport, while BA has moved all of its short-haul flights to Heathrow as demand for flights dries up. Passenger numbers have been 80% lower in August than last year, typically one of the airport’s busiest months, leaving Gatwick only using its North terminal. The airport is in “ongoing talks” with the government about “sector specific support” and ways of offering more certainty to passengers to help prop up demand, Wingate said. Gatwick has so far been less aggressive in its public lobbying than its larger rival Heathrow, which has built a ready-made facility in the hope of securing regulatory approval for testing on arrival, which could shorten the current two-week quarantine passengers face when returning from some critical tourist destinations including France and Spain. Wingate said the airport “will recover from this pandemic and we will emerge from the restructuring we are proposing a fitter and stronger organisation”.<br/>