Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on ensuring that airline staff receive a salary when flights are grounded as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.

Since the Covid-19 outbreak the Department has been in frequent contact with aviation industry stakeholders to understand more about their position and the support they need. Last week Government announced the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme to help firms continue to keep people in employment.

This will allow businesses to put workers on temporary leave and the Government will pay them cash grants of 80% of their wages up to a cap of £2500 per month, providing they keep the worker employed.

The Scheme will cover the cost of wages backdated to 1 March. It will be open initially for at least three months with the option to extend for longer if necessary.

There is no limit on the amount of funding available for the Scheme, and all UK-wide employers with a PAYE scheme will be eligible. Further guidance will be set out in due course.