Tuesday 14 April 2020

Dear AOA Member,

I hope you’ve all had good start to this short week and are well following the long Easter weekend.

This afternoon, I’ve been involved in a number of calls with the Aviation Minister and airports of different sizes  – I will update members on the contents of these in tomorrow’s email.

The AOA, together with ADS and AirlinesUK, released a joint statement on Friday to call on the Government to provide further support to the aviation sector. The statement outlines the support granted to national aviation and aerospace industries across the world and presents proposals for how the UK Government could follow suit and back the UK’s industry. The AOA followed the release with background conversations with the BBC and Sky and managed to secure coverage in both.

Also over the weekend, organisations across the transport network received this letter from the Secretary of State for Transport. As well as thanking those playing a critical role in keeping the UK’s transport infrastructure open for essential services, the letter highlights the latest Public Health England guidance on social distancing in the workplace. It also refers to guidance on the sectors that have a clinical need for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).

Finally, it is clear, especially following recent remarks from French President, Emmanuel Macron, and President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, over the weekend that Europe is preparing for a prolonged period of travel restrictions: in France, tourism businesses will not reopen until mid-July at the earliest and President von der Leyen talked of holidays being unlikely until September. This will have a significant impact on the ability of our sector to recover after the peak of the COVID-19 crisis has passed in the United Kingdom. The AOA is working with the Department for Transport, the CAA and with partners across the industry on what policy interventions and operational frameworks will be needed to support the industry throughout this recovery period.

Best wishes,

Karen Dee
Chief Executive