The UK’s NHS offers work to out-of-work airline staff
Grounded airline staff at easyJet and Virgin staff can help support the frontline coronavirus response in the UK
In the UK, where the Covid-19 death toll has now surpassed 1,200, and the number of confirmed cases so far sits at 19,569, the National Health Service (NHS) has offered work to thousands of Virgin and easyJet staff supporting doctors and nurses in east London’s new Nightingale Hospital.
As most airlines have been forced to temporarily reduce staff due to worldwide travel restrictions, forcing flight cancellations and airport closures, and easyJet has grounded the entirety of its fleet, the NHS’ offer presents an opportunity for these cabin crew members to ‘make a real difference’.
NHS England noted that as most airline staff were first aid trained with security clearance, they could be paid through the government retention scheme to change beds and perform other non-critical tasks on the hospital wards.
Virgin Atlantic says that is has written to about 4,000 employees offering them work with the NHS, while easyJet has written to 9,000. Virgin also noted that its staff members who take up the work will be given free meals and accommodation.
England's Chief Nursing Officer Ruth May said: “The NHS is mobilising like never before, but the scale of this challenge has not been seen in peacetime so we need all the support we can get. Thousands of nurses, medics and other expert staff are returning to work alongside us, but we need everyone to do their bit.”
For the UK airline industry on the whole, the long-term prospect is looking bleak. Many airlines are seeking a government bailout, but the UK government has asserted that it will only step in to help airlines ‘as a last resort’. On a larger scale, the International Air Transport Association has warned that airlines around the world face an ‘apocalypse’ if governments do not step in to help.
Over the weekend, England’s Deputy Chief Medical Officer warned that it could be six months before life in the UK returned to normal, adding that it would not be in ‘complete lockdown’ for this period of time.