Canada: Unions push Trudeau for $5.3b Canada airlines bailout

Three unions representing thousands of airline workers are calling for C$7b ($5.3b) in government aid to prevent “long-lasting damage” to the aviation sector from the pandemic. Government measures to curb Covid-19 have choked off most air travel, including a requirement that anyone entering the country isolate for 14 days. Through July, the recovery in Canadian air travel was much slower than in the U.S. Unifor, the Air Canada Pilots Association and the Canadian chapter of the Air Line Pilots Association are asking Justin Trudeau’s government to provide loan guarantees, money to resume and maintain air services and fund development of an “evolving” quarantine and testing plan, according to a statement released Thursday. Funding should be under the form of a 10-year, 1% loan, instead of a grant, Unifor National President Jerry Dias said. The National Airlines Council of Canada, an association representing the country’s largest carriers including Air Canada, WestJet Airlines and Transat, support the plan. “Countries around the world have brought forth sectoral support for their aviation sectors, precisely because of the critical role aviation must play in the economic recovery,” said Mike McNaney, the council’s chief executive officer. “We support today’s call by Canada’s major aviation unions.” Air Canada said it’s in the process of finalizing an initial order of 25,000 Covid-19 rapid testing kits, which it hopes will allow the government to relax current restrictions. <br/>