well Virgin Atlantic has announced plans
to cut more than 3,000 jobs in the UK
and possibly to end its operation at
Gatwick Airport Virgin blamed what it
called the devastating effect of the
pandemic it's another major blow for
Gatwick the second busiest airport in
the UK just days after British Airways
said it couldn't rule out closing its
operation there as well
our transport correspondent Tom barrage
has more details happier times when Sir
Richard Branson launched Virgin Atlantic
at Gatwick Airport
but that long lasting airline airport
relationship is for now at least over
when travel restrictions lift the
airline will not run any flights in and
out of Gatwick it plans to cut three
thousand of its 10,000 staff the airline
industry is shrinking fast aviation is
heading towards a death spiral a
downward trend across the whole of the
aviation sector which will affect
airports which was affect the supply
chain all throughout the country virgins
exit from Gatwick is a blow but not a
killer punch it's the ninth largest
airline here ba is the second biggest it
suggested it may pull out - that would
be a major hit for businesses and people
nearby the sheer amount of money that
comes into the local economy through
people's paychecks at the airport is
what powers most of the local economy
we're really looking at something on the
scale that we haven't seen in this
country since the 80s before the
pandemic planes would queue to get in
and out of this Airport now this is a
rare sight that Wieck and other airports
were just a few weeks ago talking up
their expansion plans virtually all of
their slots were full but all those
static tailfins tell you that airlines
and airports are suddenly in a very
different era
it is a vaccine or people to just of all
flying they will do their fee a
percentage of the population are quite
happy to jump momentous bailing out an
airline part owned by a billionaire is
potentially toxic so the government has
insisted that Virgin Atlantic finds new
investors before it gets emergency loans
the future for this iconic brand is
uncertain Tom barrage BBC news at
Gatwick Airport
IATA that's the group that represents
Airlines are on the world has
recommended that all passengers wear
masks while flying but it's expressed
concern about the way that social
distancing can be insured onboard Aer
Lingus which is based in Dublin has been
criticized after images were published
showing a very full flight from Belfast
the airline says it were put on five
more flights a week to reduce the number
of people per flight as our Island
correspondent and Nevada reports it was
these pictures taken by a worker
traveling from Belfast to London which
have added to mounting concerns over the
way airlines are operating during the
lockdown no social person whatsoever
none whatsoever
Gordon opinion The Cure's returned the
steps and heard on the tarmac as the
word before
no less haven't no change whatsoever
since restrictions were imposed the
number of daily flights has fallen by
around 80 percent some 60 flights a day
now arrive at London Heathrow compared
to 600 a day before the pandemic but
there's no policy capping passenger
numbers Aer Lingus has said there was
unexpectedly high demand on the day
those pictures were taken and that it's
now urgently reviewing its procedures
onboard but others in the industry have
warned that on a plane social distancing
is basically impossible
we don't believe social distancing on
aircraft actually works and there are
two reasons for that one of which is the
obvious economic one the second of which
is around the air-conditioning system
was on aeroplanes which rely in part on
recycling air within the cabin that
simply defeats the purpose of social
distancing the bbc's also heard from one
member of British Airways cabin crew who
told us ba are also still operating some
short haul flights at capacity and as
these images from Paris to Madrid today
show other airlines are similarly flying
with full cabins the International Air
Transport Association recommended safety
measures such as masks but says limiting
passenger numbers would push up fares
neutralizing seats on an aircraft could
have an enormous negative impact and
could lead to an increase up to 55% in
fare reviving the aviation industry will
be important to the country's economic
recovery but the government said it must
be done responsibly these are some of
the big real challenges that we've got
to grapple with but the safety of people
has got to come first
there's predictions passenger numbers
may not return to previous levels for
several years and currently no standard
approach for how to operate onboard
Emma Vardi BBC News Belfast