Jumbo withdrawal offers opportunities
British Airways’ retirement of its Boeing 747 jumbo jet fleet offers an opportunity to bring in less polluting aircraft and boost a recovery in the endangered aircraft construction sector, Unite has said.
Its national officer, Rhys McCarthy, commented: “It is time for the 747 ‘queen of the skies’ to relinquish her throne. The entire aviation industry’s stock of older, more polluting planes needs to be replaced with the next generation of cleaner and quieter aircraft built and maintained in the UK.
“Other European countries have already committed to scrappage measures that will see their aviation industries invest in greener aircraft and help re-kickstart aerospace manufacturing so badly hit by the Covid-19 pandemic. It is now time for the UK government to do the same."