Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he will take to prevent job loses in the aviation sector.

The aviation sector is able to draw upon the unprecedented package of measures announced by the Chancellor. These measures include: HMRC’s Time to Pay flexibilities with tax bills, including VAT deferrals; HMT and the Bank of England’s Covid Corporate Financing Facility; the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme for large and small businesses; and the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, which provides financial support for employees. Employers in the aviation sector can apply for a grant that covers 80% of furloughed employees’ usual monthly wage costs, up to £2500 a month, plus the associated Employer National Insurance contributions and pension contributions.

If airlines or airports find themselves in trouble as a result of coronavirus, even following the Government’s cross-economy wage and financial interventions, the Transport Secretary and Chancellor have confirmed that we are prepared to enter discussions with individual companies seeking bespoke support as a last resort, having exhausted all other options. Any intervention would need to represent value for money for taxpayers.