This petition was submitted during the 2019-2024 parliament
Petition Extend furlough for aviation sector
Extend the furlough scheme for the last sector affected by the pandemic.
More details
Aviation travel is the last industry that will be affected by the pandemic, clearly, the United Kingdom is ahead of the game with vaccinations. There is a clear indication from the Delta variant that international travel is going to slow down as a result. Travel is always going to be the last thing to be released. Environmental issues or not, as it stands, we need aviation to survive, please help us keep our industry alive, we will want to travel as we come out of this way pandemic.
This petition is closed This petition ran for 6 months
Government responded
This response was given on 16 July 2021
As restrictions are eased and international travel reopens, the current approach to CJRS strikes a balance between encouraging employees back to work, supporting the economy and protecting incomes.
Read the response in full
The Government recognises the challenges which the aviation industry has faced as a result of Covid-19 and firms experiencing difficulties have been able to draw upon the unprecedented package of measures announced by the Chancellor, including schemes to raise capital, flexibilities with tax bills and the extended Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS). The aviation and aerospace sectors are being supported with over £11 billion made available through loan guarantees, support for exporters, the Bank of England’s Covid Corporate Financing Facility (CCFF) and grants for research and development.
The Global Travel Taskforce (GTT) report sets out a clear framework for the Government’s objective of enabling a safe, sustainable and robust return to international travel, which is key to enabling the sector’s recovery. In line with this framework, travel measures are continuing to be reviewed through a series of checkpoints, considering the latest domestic and international data.
Following the recent checkpoint review of the GTT, arrivals into England from amber list countries who have been fully vaccinated by an NHS administered vaccine will soon be exempt from self-isolation and day 8 testing requirements. These changes are a vital step in enabling the recovery of travel operators and those whose jobs rely on the travel industry. Industry bodies, media and airline groups have responded positively to this announcement, with many travel operators adding additional flights and holidays to new destinations.
The CJRS was designed as a temporary, economy-wide measure to support businesses while widespread restrictions were in place. It is right that we ask employers across the economy to contribute more as Covid-19 related restrictions are lifted, in order to strike a balance between encouraging employers to bring employees back to work and continuing to support the economy and protect incomes.
Of course, the Government has shown throughout the pandemic that it is prepared to adapt support if the path of the virus changes. We continue to engage closely with sectors across the economy, including the travel industry, to understand their recovery horizons as the vaccine is rolled out and restrictions ease.
HM Treasury
Related activity
MPs launch inquiry into how the Government can support the recovery of the UK aviation sector
The House of Commons Transport Committee is holding an inquiry into supporting recovery in the UK aviation sector.
The MPs on the Committee will examine how airlines and airports are recovering from the coronavirus pandemic. They will also look at how Government policy has affected international travel, including how travel requirements like PCR testing affected the international travel system.
Read about the inquiry here: https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/153/transport-committee/news/157405/clearance-for-takeoff-transport-committee-launches-inquiry-to-plot-aviation-sector-route-to-recovery/
You can find future announcements about the inquiry here: https://committees.parliament.uk/work/1473/airlines-and-airports-supporting-recovery-in-the-uk-aviation-sector/
What is the Transport Committee?
The Transport Committee is a cross-party group of MPs appointed by the House of Commons to scrutinise the work of the Department for Transport, the Government department responsible for the English transport network.
The Department is also responsible for a limited number of transport matters in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland that have not been devolved to the Scottish Government, Welsh Government, or Northern Ireland Executive.
Find out more about the Transport Committee: https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/153/transport-committee/
Follow the Committee on Twitter for updates on its work: https://twitter.com/CommonsTrans
You can also sign up to the UK Parliament newsletter for the latest information on how to get involved and make a difference: https://learning.parliament.uk/en/your-uk-parliament-newsletter-sign-up-form/