Photo credit: Magali Theriver via “Aviation workers made redundant in
Canada by the COVID-19 crisis” Facebookgroup.
Aviation workers are staging a peaceful march to the Transport Canada building in Vancouver today to demand that the Government of Canada introduce "concrete measures" for a safe reopening of the aviation industry.
"As aviation industry workers made redundant in Canada, we are looking for the use of rapid testing at airports across Canada to avoid blanket quarantines, and a comprehensive financial aid plan for airlines with strict labor protection for furloughed employees to safely restart the aviation industry and contribute to the recovery of the Canadian economy," industry workers representing the "Aviation workers made redundant in Canada by the COVID-19 crisis" Facebook group stated in a news release.
A group of airline pilots who felt aviation industry workers were forgotten during the COVID-19 pandemic launched the Facebook group in early SEP. According to the news release, more than 9,000 members joined the group within five days of its creation.
They’ve grown to more than 12,500 members and represent all aviation industry employees impacted by the demise of the Canadian air travel industry, including travel advisors.
The group notes that Canada's air travel restrictions, which remain virtually unchanged since they came into effect in MAR, are among the strictest in the world, and for nearly nine months, "there was no clear message from our government on specific measures in place to gradually restart the industry."
Earlier this week, the government committed to concrete action to help the airline industry and confirmed it will offer financial assistanceto the pandemic-battered sector in the form of loans. It entered into discussions with airlines this week.
Anna Kroupina Journalist
Anna is OJ's newest member and she joins the team as a writer/reporter. She co-writes the daily news and covers events. Although she's new to the industry, pursuing a career path in travel/tourism has been a goal since her first family road trip to the Florida Keys sparked a desire to discover the world and this exhilarating, fast-paced industry.