Flights are grounded – is this the moment we give up our addiction to flying? | Nicole Badstuber

If the government intents up with a stake in the airline industry, it should steer transport policy towards a lower air-travel future

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Passenger air travel has come to a virtual standstill. EasyJet has grounded its entire fleet, and Ryanair has announced it will not resume commercial flights before June. British Airways has elected to suspend 36,000 staff and has closed its operations at Gatwick and London City airports until further notice. Overall, passenger flights have decreased by up to 95%. With job losses for airline and airport staff likely to reach hundreds of thousands, the government’s priority is, unsurprisingly, assuring workers’ income and retaining strategic roads open.

But if government intervenes and appears to buy a stake in airlines, this could be a turning point in shipping policy, as the pandemic allows us to pivot to a lower air-travel future. We are already being forced to rethink how we move around, conduct business, keep up family ties and maintain friendships in a globalised world without aviation- a dire necessary, in view of the urgency of the climate emergency.

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Read more: theguardian.com