Ministers faced fresh calls to throw the aviation industry a lifeline today as figures showed an 85% plunge in “air transport services” in the coronavirus crisis.
Planes were grounded when countries around the world announced unprecedented lockdowns to combat the spread of Covid-19. The sector has failed to recover with thousands of redundancies announced and ongoing travel restrictions.
Official figures studied by the Prospect union show the value of “air transport services” – flights – to the British economy dropped by 85% in the 12 months from October 2019.
Aircraft repair and maintenance – vital to firms like Rolls-Royce which has an ongoing contract to service plane engines – dipped by 24% Aerospace manufacture, which includes