Heathrow to cut up to 1,200 jobs as furlough unwinds

Heathrow is to axe up to a quarter of its workforce as Europe’s busiest airport grapples with spiralling losses and braces for the end of the taxpayer-funded furlough scheme. Up to 1,200 of Heathrow’s 4,700-strong workforce are at risk of compulsory redundancy after Covid brought a golden age of air travel to a juddering halt. The airport said it had lost GBP1b since March and passenger numbers during August were 82pc lower than the previous year, with demand for foreign holidays crushed by a constantly changing quarantine regime. Bosses said that it is time to accept a “new reality” as the pandemic wreaks havoc across the industry. Many workers who survive the cull face pay cuts of up to a fifth of their salary. Unions urged Heathrow to withdraw the job cuts consultation. The Telegraph today launched a campaign calling for Covid-19 testing to be introduced at airports and ports by Christmas in a bid to save the battered travel industry, which experts have repeatedly warned faces a catastrophe due to the pandemic. Many airports have put their operations into hibernation over summer by taking advantage of Sunak’s furlough scheme, which pays up to 80% of the wage bill for workers unable to do their jobs. However, with this support set to come to an end next month and little hope of further bailouts, operators have no choice but to begin laying off staff.<br/>