UK losing more than 5,000 aviation jobs a month, research says

In total, more than 60,000 UK jobs have been scrapped

A plane taking off at sunset (PA)

The UK has shed more than 5,000 aviation jobs every month since last February, according to new research.

Twice as many UK jobs in aviation have been lost than in France and Germany during the past year, according to research by independent experts Acuity Analysis for the trade union Unite.

In total, the report estimates that 61,973 UK jobs have been lost in aviation since the beginning of the pandemic.

The aviation industry has been hit hard by by travel restrictions both in the UK and beyond, designed to stop the spread of coronavirus.

Figures show that air traffic in 2020 slumped 70 per cent year on year as Covid travel restrictions took hold.

Unite is calling on the chancellor for more help for the aviation sector, saying that it is the “final call” for a support package.

Oliver Richardson, Unite officer for civil aviation, said: “This research confirms what we’ve been saying to the government for the past year; the sector needs targeted, intelligent support if we are to maintain this vital strategic infrastructure.

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“Shedding jobs on this scale is not just a massive shock to the airport and aviation sector, but that the effects will be seen in high streets across the country as retail and hospitality suffer the knock-on effects of a shrunken industry.”

The figures follow a January survey that showed more than half of the world’s pilots are no longer flying.

Just 43 per cent of pilots are still flying for a living, according to a survey carried out by aviation publisher FlightGlobal and GOOSE Recruitment.

The pair polled 2,600 flight crew around the world.

All international travel for non-essential reasons is banned in the UK until at least 17 May, according to the government’s roadmap.