UK airports warn of 20,000 job losses, call for end to quarantine

The Airport Operators Association (AOA), urged the government to scrap its controversial 14-day quarantine for all incoming passengers, which began on June 14.

It's warning came as Swissport, the UK's biggest provider of airport baggage and ticketing services, announced it was planning to cut 4,556 jobs, reducing its UK workforce by more than half.

Other measures suggested by the AOA included business rate relief, extension of the coronavirus job retention scheme, direct funding for sector regulator the Civil Aviation Authority, and a suspension of air passenger taxes.

"These jobs figures clearly show that a key component of the UK’s infrastructure is on its knees, with no relief to the current crisis expected," said AOA chief executive Karen Dee.

"Government needs to recognise the immense crisis facing the country’s airport communities and take action to support UK aviation and protect livelihoods."

The AOA said the government should repeal the “damaging” quarantine policy and replace it with a “risk-based proportionate approach which includes additional public health measures for passengers arriving from high-risk countries”.

Major UK airlines British Airways, easyJet and Virgin Atlantic are also preparing to fire thousands of workers as they deal with the aftermath of a crisis that has crippled demand and left them burning through cash reserves in the absence of any industry-specific bailout.

The quarantine policy, up for review on June 29, has attracted severe criticism from the airline and hospitality sector, which claim it is deterring people from travelling to and from the UK and stifling any hope of a start to recovery.

“Commercial aviation in the UK has weathered the worst three months in its history, and is now presented with an arbitrary quarantine policy, which has unnecessarily stifled the sector’s restart and recovery plans,” Dee said.

“We face considerable challenges in recovering from the devastating impacts of Covid-19 and we are calling on the government to do much more and act with urgency to protect jobs in the aviation sector, many of which are highly-skilled.”