22/01/2002

Report reveals shocking scale of aviation downturn

New statistics have revealed that as many as 400,000 jobs have been shed by the aviation industry in the wake of the 11 September attacks.

The shocking extent of the worldwide losses was revealed by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) who presented their figures at a forum in Geneva attended by representatives from governments and the aviation sector.

The single biggest issue the report uncovered was the different way in which North American and European airlines handled the disaster, with US firms immediately announcing draconian job cuts, while European companies were more willing to work with unions to find a compromise and help their workforce retain their jobs.

Whatever method was utilised, most large airlines have been forced to let go of between 15 to 20 per cent of their staff. While Lufthansa remains the only major European airline which have not implemented layoffs, the German carrier is thought to be considering cutting 4,000 jobs in the immediate future.

British Airways, are rumoured to be looking at cutting a further 10,000 positions in addition to the 7,000 employees already made redundant.

Defunct airlines Sabena and Swissair led the field in implementing layoffs, having cut 21,000 jobs in total between them. (CL)

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