If the government intents up with a stake in the airline industry, it should steer transport policy towards a lower air-travel future<\/p>\n
Coronavirus- latest updates<\/a>See all our coronavirus coverage<\/a><\/p>\n Passenger air travel has come to a virtual standstill. EasyJet has grounded<\/a> its entire fleet, and Ryanair has announced it will not resume commercial flights before June. British Airways has elected to suspend 36,000 staff<\/a> and has closed its operations at Gatwick and London City airports until further notice. Overall, passenger flights have decreased by up to 95%<\/a>. 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n