A number of constituents have sent me a copy of a
campaign email entitled “Will you ensure airline bailouts protect workers and
the climate?”
Airlines have made remarkable progress in recent years
in reducing emissions and noise and improving efficiency. I have no doubt this
will continue, and their aim is to be carbon neutral by 2050. A truly
remarkable ambition and one I am confident they will meet.
They, along with their dedicated staff, have also
played a vital part in assisting during the medical crisis such providing air
freight services for the vital personal protection equipment (PPE)
sourced from around the world, the successful repatriation of thousands of UK
citizens and mercy missions for those in need of urgent medical attention.
The future wellbeing of this vital part of our
transport infrastructure and those that work within it will be key in the
decisions taken as we emerge from the current situation. The government
continues to support a vast swathe of businesses and families during the
medical crisis and I fully support the action to date and the speed that help
has arrived to so many.
Going forward none of us know the full impact on
the world economy and how our own economy will fare. The government will
continue to engage with all interested parties including the aviation industry
to ensure that any help provided is in the long term best interests of
the workforce, the businesses involved and the wider economy. The future
wellbeing of this vital part of our transport infrastructure and those that
work within it will always have my full support.
