Should the UK Government be helping to save the airline industry during the Coronavirus Pandemic?

The Coronavirus Pandemic has brought the whole world to a halt, with countries completely shutting down and travel now becoming a distant memory of the past. For people like me, who love to travel and explore new countries, this has been a devastating thing to come to terms with. Whilst it is definitely not the worst part of this pandemic, especially considering the horrendous mortality rates around the world, many people have still had their lives interrupted and exciting plans put on hold. For me personally, my holiday of a lifetime: a trip to Los Angeles, San Francisco and Hawaii is hanging in the balance. I am not feeling hopeful, due to the US having the largest death toll in the world, as well as many airlines currently facing troubling times, with most expected to be bankrupt by the end of May if they do not receive financial support from the Government, during this pressing time.

Travel plays a massive role in the British Economy, connecting us to countries all over the world. Our Airline Industry is the third largest in the world, after the US and China, with over 84,000 people employed by UK based airlines worldwide. If the Government do not support these airlines, a significant number of people will lose their jobs, adding to the already surging unemployment rate. But it is not just airline employees who would be in trouble, as airlines collapsing would have a knock on effect on the whole British Economy. The companies that make aircraft would suffer, along with caterers and airport staff. For this reason, I do believe that it is vital for the UK Government to provide some necessary financial aid during these unprecedented times, in order to help people maintain their jobs and help the economy survive.

As a traveller myself, I cannot imagine a time where we do not have easy access to air travel. The wide variety of options available when it comes to travel right now are astonishing. Travel is much more accessible than it was 25 years ago, due to the introduction of budget airlines, meaning more people can travel globally and much more frequently. Going on holiday is something that people look forward to each year; exploring new places and just generally getting to enjoy some time away from our everyday lives. Losing some of our airlines would not completely stop us travelling, but it would certainly limit our options on where to go and how to get there. The winners in this would be our own seaside towns, villages and cities as more people would holiday within the UK, potentially boosting the economy in a different way.

It could be argued that going forward there will be a reduced need for large airline fleets as the world will emerge from the Coronavirus pandemic with a different outlook on business travel. Many people will no longer be travelling for work, instead choosing to communicate over video conferencing apps, saving the expense and hassle of having to travel for meetings. It has been suggested by some airlines that the industry will take at least 3 years to recover. Some holidaymakers may be hesitant to travel, even when flights resume, due to the risk of a second spike, or fears of contracting the virus and not being able to get back home. Facing delays through quarantine is another issue and it makes short term travel almost impossible. 

Travel has always been an important part of my life, and the first thing to really get you into the holiday mood is the flight. Some of my best holidays started on flights with Virgin Atlantic, British Airways and TUI, so to see them potentially disappear because of a relatively short-term problem truly devastates me. I would love for the Government to find a way to help these companies survive this pandemic, even if they have to become more condensed for a while, before building themselves back up over time. Let's hope that the Government are able to find a solution and that once this is all over, the airline industry will bounce back stronger than ever. I cannot wait to continue to explore the world and make new memories!