Calls for Scottish Government to give immediate financial support to Edinburgh Airport to avert thousands of job losses

Airport is key part of city’s economy

Edinburgh Airport has warned Covid could lead to 2,000 job losses

CITY MSP Alex Cole-Hamilton has called on the Scottish Government to provide “immediate financial assistance” to Edinburgh Airport to avert thousands of redundancies.

The airport warned earlier this week that around 2,000 of its 7,000 jobs could go because of the looming recession caused by Covid and a reluctance to fly. It also estimated a third of the 21,000 jobs supported by the airport’s supply chain be at risk too.

Mr Cole-Hamilton, Lib Dem MSP for Edinburgh Western, which includes the airport, said urgent action was needed and called on the Scottish Government to outline the support it would provide for the aviation industry.

He said: “What we need from the Scottish Government is immediate financial assistance to ensure that Edinburgh Airport will not be forced into making thousands of people redundant.

“We need to work with the airport to identify areas where it can receive government funding - whether that’s loan funding or grant funding - to sustain jobs beyond furlough while we wait for the aviation industry to come back up.

“If we’re going to recover fully in the months and years to come then we can’t lose big chunks of this industry.”

He said he believed aviation could recover and would have to do so with an eye to sustainability and climate change.

But he said: “It is the engine of the Scottish tourism economy and if we lose it we lose the tourist economy as well.”

He also called on the Scottish Government to rule out quarantining of travellers from England.

Earlier this week, Edinburgh Airport bosses and the Unite union sent a joint letter to First Minister Nicola Sturgeon asking for a meeting to discuss its future.

Unite has launched a “Save Scotland’s Airports” campaign, calling for sector-specific support, including an extension of the furlough scheme; protection of jobs written into any support scheme; and a block on “fire and rehire” proposals.

Meanwhile, Edinburgh West Lib Dem MP Christine Jardine argued the airport would be central to Scotland’s economic recovery and called for a national strategy.

“I want to see the governments finally get their act together. We need collaboration between both governments and the sector to rebuild a better aviation industry, which protects our health objectives and tackles the climate challenges we face.”

A Scottish Government spokesman said it did not underestimate the scale of the global challenge affecting aviation and aerospace.

“Our immediate priority is providing assistance to workers who have lost their jobs,

“As part of our £2.3 billion package of business support, the Scottish Government has provided business rates relief for aviation, airports and ground handling providers – something that is not available in England or Wales.

“Nonetheless, challenges remain. We are working with industry on a route recovery strategy, to help rebuild connectivity for business and tourism and win back routes and employment opportunities.

“Restoring connectivity to the levels we enjoyed in 2019 will take time but we will do all we can to help airports rebuild connectivity and return to growth.”