Helping aviation must be a ‘national priority’, says ex-transport chief

MITIGATING the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the aviation industry must be a “national priority”, according to former Transport Secretary Chris Grayling.

Derby’s Rolls-Royce has been particularly badly hit by the downturn, announcing hundreds of jobs losses in recent months.

Speaking during a Westminster Hall debate, Mr Grayling told MPs: “This industry, the aviation industry, is a vital part of our economy. It employs, or rather it did employ, hundreds of thousands of people around the country, it’s an essential part of regional economies which is why we see colleagues from around the United Kingdom here today, and it provides vital connections from the United Kingdom around the world.

“And today, this is a sector that is on its knees. Last weekend, I cast a quick glance at that ‘plane finder’ app that some of us have on our phones – that afternoon, there were three aircraft in the air over the south of England. Three aircraft and one of those was en route from France to the United States. That is a disaster for this country.

“It’s a disaster for all the staff who’ve lost their jobs, it’s a disaster for all the airline personnel who’ve lost their jobs, a disaster for the airport services companies and all their people, a disaster for the suppliers to the industry like the catering services firms.

“The construction workers who should be preparing to work on capital investment projects at our airports in the coming months where capital budgets have evaporated.

“They now face a bleak year ahead. The entire future of individual UK airlines is now under threat and of course there is the broader issue of the impact on the aerospace sector as a whole.

“Now, all of us accept there was no way this pandemic could have passed without a major impact on aviation, but taking every step we can to mitigate that impact has been, should be, must be and must be now a national priority.”