MPs brand British Airways a ‘national disgrace’ over job cuts

Huw Merriman, chair of the committee, acknowledged the impact of coronavirus might mean the loss of some jobs in the aviation sector was justified but he criticised the depth of the cuts being made by BA. "It falls well below the standards expected from any employer, especially in light of the scale of taxpayer subsidy, at this time of national crisis," said Mr Merriman. In April, IAG, BA's parent company, was one of the first major airline groups to announce job cuts as it warned that a return to 2019 passenger levels would take "Several years". The committee's report said airlines should not "Proceed hastily with large-scale redundancies" until the job retention scheme ends in October, and the government launches its aviation recovery plan. The airline added that "We find ourselves in the deepest crisis ever faced by the airline industry. A crisis not of our making but one which we must address." The report called for the government to introduce a temporary six-month suspension of air passenger duty payments and 12-month business rates relief for airlines and airports across the UK..

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