The trade union, Unite Scotland has responded to the news that up to 165 jobs are at risk at Scottish airports as the crisis hitting the nation’s aviation industry continues to unfold.

The potential job losses would be in addition to the 100 jobs that Loganair has already served notice on.

The nation’s four major airports will all be affected with 49 out of 153 jobs at risk in Aberdeen Airport, Edinburgh Airport (26 out of 74 at risk), Glasgow Airport (70 out of 342 at risk) and Inverness Airport (20 out of 53 at risk).

This represents around a quarter of the Loganair workforce across the four airports.

Trade union, Unite is pressing Loganair to utilise the five-month extension of the furlough scheme into Spring 2021 to avert the job losses.

Pat McIlvogue, Unite industrial officer, said: 

“The news of a further 165 jobs potentially at immediate risk in addition to the 100 jobs which Loganair has already served notice on is absolutely shattering. But, we believe that by working together we can mitigate the need for compulsory redundancies if we have positive engagement with Loganair.

“It’s essential that we explore and utilise all of the levers available to save jobs including the extension of the job retention scheme. 

“Unite has repeatedly urged the Scottish Government to give greater support to an industry on life support and this announcement should send shock waves through the Transport Ministry that far more needs to be done.”

In September, the nation’s leading aviation industry trade union warned of a ‘second wave’ of redundancies. The union also launched a campaign to ‘Save Scotland’s Airports’ following a Fraser of Allander report conducted on behalf of Unite, which estimated 2,330 direct and indirect job losses in civil aviation with an overall economic loss of around £140m to the Scottish economy after accounting for knock-on effects.