Pilots union Balpa has written to the government again to call for a Winter Resilience Fund that it says would provide an ‘airbridge’ of funding for aviation companies.
The union notes the “steep drop in demand” for travel it puts down to “Omicron and the government’s response” of bringing in additional testing measures and adding 11 countries to the red list, which were removed on Wednesday.
It earlier issued a three-point plea to government to support the beleaguered sector.
Noting the “huge losses” airlines have faced with two restricted summer seasons and an upcoming “winter of uncertainty”, Balpa’s most recent letter made the security case for the government to commit funds to ensure the development of additional and appropriate training schemes in conjunction with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
Balpa has suggested two example schemes the CAA could agree with airlines, that it estimates would cost £15 million, or “a sliver of the support that was given to shore up losses made because of government restrictions over the last 18 months”.
The union argues: “Never before have so many people needed training all at the same time. Piloting is a key example of a safety critical job and those returning to the cockpit need to refresh their skills and rebuild resilience. This training is costly and takes time, but it is vital to flight safety and underpins the future prosperity of the UK. Existing requirements for training and recency were not designed with such a prolonged slow-down in mind.”
General Secretary Martin Chalk said: “Just when we thought recovery was on solid footing, the government has apparently sought to wreck confidence in air travel and make it significantly more expensive and stressful.
“Airlines are seeing both booking cancellations and a huge drop in demand.
“Government needs to recognise the challenges that these restrictions are having on the bottom line for air operators, and that they must address the impact this has on resilience.
“The motor skills pilots and other safety staff need are analogous to riding a bike, they are not easily forgotten and are quickly trained to competence. However, the need to become resilient, to be able to prioritise and manage workload in the real-world environment, (equivalent to roadcraft on a bike) is more challenging and needs both practice and exposure.
“These are both expensive to bring up to speed, not required by the legal minimum return to work standards and yet, in this unprecedented situation are vital for safety.”