The British Airline Pilots Association (BALPA) says talks are ongoing with airlines and the Government to look at how best to support the aviation industry though the current coronavirus crisis.

BALPA says that widely reported claims that the Government is not going to support the industry are misleading and that discussions about unique measures for individual airlines are ongoing.

BALPA General Secretary, Brian Strutton, said:

“It is unhelpful that correspondence is leaked out of the context of discussions. It gives rise to the erroneous conclusion that there is no chance of any Government help for UK airlines.

“I’ve said before that there is no ‘one size fits all’ solution, due to the different structures and needs of each airline.

“Each airline will need to be reviewed to ensure a good use of taxpayers money. The Government will be looking at areas such as the airline’s financial state, whether it could raise the cash in other ways, or if it’s crucial to the UK transport system. These deliberations still are ongoing so we should await the outcomes.

“We think it would be helpful in these uncertain times for the Government to confirm it is still committed to protecting the jobs of the 1.5m workers who depend on the aviation sector.”