UK looking at air bridges; criticises airlines for cutting staff

The United Kingdom is looking closely at air bridges to enable some people to travel but airlines should not be using the government's job retention scheme as a way to cut thousands of staff, a junior transport minister said on Wednesday.

The government plans to introduce a 14-day quarantine period for almost everyone entering the country from June 8, a step airlines have said threatens their businesses just as they grapple with the shock of the coronavirus slump. Asked about the quarantine, Kelly Tolhurst told parliament it was the right time to introduce such restrictions.

"No option is off the table and we are looking very closely at air bridges which are also known as international corridors," she added. Tolhurst said the government's job support scheme "was not designed for taxpayers to fund the wages of employees only for those companies to put the same staff on notice of redundancy during the furlough period."

Lawmakers across the House of Commons repeatedly criticised British Airways for cutting staff, with some suggesting the Civil Aviation Authority should review its landing slots as a way to put pressure on the company over its staff cuts. "Government currently is legally prevented from intervening in the slots allocation process," Tolhurst said, "however we want airport landing and takeoff slots to be used as effectively as possible for UK consumers as the UK aviation market recovers from the impacts of this terrible disease.

"I want to ensure the slot allocation process encourages competition and provides connectivity so this is something that I will be looking at." British Airways said in April it planned to axe up to 12,000 of its 42,000 employees, downsizing in preparation for the much smaller travel market which is expected to emerge after the coronavirus pandemic.