A Scottish airline will axe more than 100 jobs.
Up to 165 jobs at Loganair are at risk at Scottish airports as the crisis hitting the nation’s aviation industry continues to unfold.
Trade union Unite said the potential job losses would be in addition to 100 jobs that Loganair has already served notice on.
Loganair chief executive Jonathan Hinkles said: “The latest round of Covid-related lockdowns and restrictions UK-wide has led to the recovery from the pandemic being later, and slower, than could reasonably have been expected three months ago.
“The impact of this has been felt throughout the economy, but particularly acutely in the aviation sector. The Government’s extended furlough programme is helpful in cushioning the impact over the coming winter, but we are mindful that a recovery next year is uncertain.
“We’ve therefore started formal consultations with our employee groups around what options are open to us should the recovery, for which we all hope, either fail to materialise or take longer to come through.
“Discussions at an early stage, and both we and our employee groups are keen to avoid the need for any further redundancies in Loganair, albeit unfortunately we cannot absolutely rule out that possibility.”
The nation’s four major airports will all be affected with 49 out of 153 jobs at risk in Aberdeen Airport, Edinburgh Airport where 26 out of 74 are at at risk, Glasgow Airport - 70 out of 342 at risk - and Inverness Airport with 20 out of 53 at risk. This represents around a quarter of the Loganair workforce across the four airports.
Unite is pressing Loganair to utilise the five-month extension of the furlough scheme into Spring 2021 to avert the job losses. In September, the nation’s leading aviation industry trade union warned of a ‘second wave’ of redundancies.
Pat McIlvogue, Unite industrial officer, said: “The news of a further 165 jobs potentially at immediate risk in addition to the 100 jobs which Loganair has already served notice on is absolutely shattering.
“But we believe that by working together we can mitigate the need for compulsory redundancies if we have positive engagement with Loganair.
"It’s essential that we explore and utilise all of the levers available to save jobs including the extension of the job retention scheme.
“Unite has repeatedly urged the Scottish Government to give greater support to an industry on life support and this announcement should send shock waves through the Transport Ministry that far more needs to be done."
