IATA: Airlines and Air Transport Workers call for urgent government assistance to prevent jobs catastrophe

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) and the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) have issued a joint statement calling for urgent government intervention to prevent an employment catastrophe in the aviation industry. Estimates from the Air Transport Action Group suggest some 4.8 million aviation workers’ jobs are at risk as a result of air travel demand falling more than 75% (August 2020 compared to August 2019). The impact of COVID-19 related border restrictions and quarantine measures has effectively closed down the aviation industry, grounding planes and leaving infrastructure and aircraft manufacturing capacity idle. The IATA and the ITF request to