Swissport to Cut 4,000 British Jobs; Airports Warn Many More at Risk

London (dpa) - Airport operator Swissport on Wednesday announced plans to cut more then 4,000 staff in Britain and Ireland, as an industry group warned that tens of thousands of airport-linked jobs are at risk following the coronavirus pandemic.

Jason Holt, chief executive for western Europe, told Swissport's 8,500 staff in Britain and Ireland that the company had to "adapt to this new reality" in which air traffic was not forecast to recover to pre-pandemic levels until as late as 2024.

Holt said in a memo that Swissport, which provides baggage handling and other services at most British regional airports, planned to start consultations on the possible cutting of 4,556 positions.

In a later statement, Holt said the pandemic had "hit [Swissport] hard, beginning with the collapse of [regional airline] Flybe back in March."

The company had lost about 75 per cent of its revenue during the pandemic, he said.

"We now must adapt to the unfortunate reality that there simply aren't enough aircraft flying for our business to continue running as it did before Covid-19; and there won't be for some time to come," Holt said.

"We expect upwards of 4,000 will leave us, comprising around 50 per cent of our workforce," he said, adding that the entire aviation industry is facing "very challenging, existential times."

The Airport Operators' Association (AOA) said its analysis suggested that more than 20,000 jobs could be lost in Britain, or more than 110,000 jobs if firms providing services to airports or indirectly dependent upon them are included.

Trade unions GMB and Unite, which represent many Swissport staff, said the plan to cut jobs was "devastating news."

The unions urged the government to provide "a bespoke financial package ... to support the aviation industry and save thousands of jobs as the economy continues to reopen."

Major British airlines have also announced possible staff cuts, including 12,000 at British Airways, 4,500 at easyJet and 3,000 at Ryanair.

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 on all international arrivals in 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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