Edinburgh Airport to shed a third of its workforce
Bosses are blaming the pandemic for a huge drop in passenger demand
Last updated 31st Jul 2020
Edinburgh Airport has announced restructuring plans which will see around a third of its 750 workers made redundant.
Bosses say roughly 220 of the hub's directly-employed staff will receive letters notifying them of the news from tomorrow and leave their jobs at the end of October.
They're blaming the coronavirus pandemic for a huge drop in passenger demand, which has devastated the aviation sector.
Gordon Dewar, Chief Executive of Edinburgh Airport said: "“This is a bitterly sad day for the airport and for those colleagues who are losing their jobs through no fault of their own but due to the impact of this dreadful pandemic.
“We have worked with unions and staff over the past four months to protect as many jobs as possible, but unfortunately we have to confirm this regrettable news as the business prepares for whatever comes next.
“Last year we welcomed a record 14.7 million people through our doors. This year we will be lucky to see a third of that and next year won’t be anywhere near where we have previously estimated so the business has to right size to be in a position to survive and recover when it can.”
The job losses will cover areas including frontline staff, management and support roles - and will include both voluntary and compulsory redundancies.
Mr Dewar added: "The furlough scheme has undoubtedly helped us to retain jobs and we are grateful for the UK Government’s support, as well as that of the Scottish Government through things like rates relief. Despite this, we continued to burn around £3.5 million a month as passenger numbers dropped dramatically and airlines drastically scaled back operations.
"It will be a very long road to recovery, and we cannot successfully make that journey while we are set up as a 15 million passenger airport. "
Forth News asked the First Minister about the job losses during her coronavirus briefing today.
Nicola Sturgeon said: "I deeply regret the need for the redundancies that have been announced at Edinburgh Airport today and my thoughts are with the workforce there and my thoughts are with the management there.
"We will continue to seek to support the aviation and the wider aerospace sector as much as we can.
"One of the biggest risks that we face right now is the importation of this virus to the country from other parts of the world.
"Quarantine is the best way that we can devise at the moment to reduce the risks of people bringing the virus in and then allowing it to spread."
Union leaders are also calling for a government rescue deal for the aviation industry.
Unite regional officer Sandy Smart said: “The entire civil aviation sector has been impacted by the pandemic and we are genuinely worried about the sector in Scotland once the government support through JRS is reduced.
"We have been calling on Westminster and Holyrood parliaments to put an aid package together to help Scotland’s airports and we will continue to pursue this.”
“Scotland needs its airports and the aviation industry is crucial in ensuring we remain connected globally. ”
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