Campaign Response to British Airways and Covid-19

Thank you for contacting me about British Airways and COVID-19.

I do appreciate that this must be an uncertain and worrying time for British Airways staff and their families.

I would encourage airlines to make full use of the unprecedented support made available by the Government to assist with wages and financing. Support is on offer through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, the Time to Pay scheme, the Bank of England's Covid Corporate Financing Facility and other schemes.

The Government has also taken action to help airlines specifically in dealing with the financial pressures they are currently facing. For example, the UK voted in favour of giving airlines the ability to defer payment of charges for European air navigation services for February-May 2020, for 14 months. Given that in February alone the UK's ten largest airlines would have been expected to pay a total of £47.2 million for flights in European airspace, this deferral should go some way to help airlines manage their current financial burdens.

I know that the Department for Transport is in regular contact with airlines, including British Airways. Rest assured that I am also monitoring the situation very closely and listening to the views of those here in our constituency. I will convey the concerns feedback to me to my Ministerial colleagues.

Thank you again for taking the time to contact me.

Kind regards,

Sally-Ann Hart MP