Following Philip Hammond’s Budget announcement of a review of airline insolvency arrangements to protect the public, pilots have raised concerns the proposals do not appear to include staff.

The British Airline Pilots’ Association (BALPA) has said that it’s important the process is reviewed, and staff of collapsed airlines should also be considered in this process.

BALPA General Secretary, Brian Strutton, said:

“I welcome the review announced by the Chancellor. The recent example with Monarch showed there are definitely some flaws in the way we carry out insolvency arrangements when it comes to the collapse of an airline, particularly regarding staff.  I have written to the Chancellor to ask him to ensure that this aspect is part of the review’s terms of reference.

“Monarch pilots lost their jobs and livelihoods, and with them, a significant amount of money in wages following the collapse.

“We are also concerned about the decision to wet-lease aircraft from airline carriers, including non-EU carriers, to repatriate customers, while Monarch pilots and aircraft remained grounded. The reasons for this were bureaucratic, and the rules could certainly be changed to at least give pilots a few more days’ employment.