Shadow employment minister Seema Malhotra MP has today called for the Government to take action to secure employment in the aviation sector.
The aviation sector in the UK is the third largest in the world, and Heathrow Airport contributes around a quarter of a million jobs to West London, where the Malhotra’s constituency of Feltham and Heston is. This debate follows other action taken by the MP, including asking questions of the Government in Parliament and writing open letters to Heathrow businesses.
Malhotra said: “This is a national emergency and the impact of not acting now to secure an aviation deal and to support businesses and aviation communities in the next few weeks will be devastating. The cost to the state will be far greater than the cost of measures to get us through even to the spring, when many companies expect to see demand grow.”
In her speech, the MP made five recommendations to the government to save UK aviation:
- A flexible, sector-targeted furlough to keep people in work
- Business rates deferral
- Reduced quarantine through increased testing
- A review into adopting a slot waiver during this crisis
- Targeted support for areas affected by the crisis in UK aviation through an Aviation Communities Fund