British Airports Say 20,000 Jobs at Risk; Swissport Plans Cuts

London (dpa) - An airport industry group on Wednesday said more than 20,000 jobs could be lost in Britain due to the economic impact the coronavirus pandemic, amid reports that Swissport plans to cut more than 4,000 jobs.

The Airport Operators' Association called for government help after its analysis suggested that 20,000 airport jobs are at risk in Britain "as the full effects of the [coronavirus] pandemic on the global airline community begin to be felt."

More than 110,000 jobs could be lost if firms providing services to airports or indirectly dependent upon them are included, the AOA said.

Trade unions and British media reported on Wednesday that Swissport has told staff that it plans consultations on cutting about half of its 9,000 jobs in Britain.

AOA chief executive Karen Dee said Britain's commercial aviation sector had "weathered the worst three months in its history."

Dee urged the government to drop its "arbitrary quarantine policy, which has unnecessarily stifled the sector’s restart and recovery plans."

"These [AOA] 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," she added.

The government has imposed a 14-day quarantine for all international arrivals to Britain, which airlines warned could bring "economic disaster."

It later announced planned exemptions for arrivals from European nations popular with British holidaymakers, including Spain and Portugal.

Airlines said the government had effectively banned people from travelling to countries with lower coronavirus infection rates than Britain.

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