The restructuring of Edinburgh Airport includes compulsory and voluntary redundancies. Credit: ERIC SALARD from PARIS, FRANCE.

Edinburgh Airport in Scotland, the UK, has announced that it will lay off around one third of its workforce due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The decision was made after a long and detailed consultation process with staff and unions. The move is expected to help the airport prepare for a prolonged recovery.

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Edinburgh Airport employs 750 direct personnel. These redundancies will affect all areas such as frontline staff, management, and support functions.

The airport added that the terms of the lay-off were supported by over 90% of those who participated in the ballot.

The personnel who will be laid off will receive letters and will leave on 31 October.

Edinburgh Airport CEO Gordon Dewar said: “This is a bitterly sad day for the airport and for those colleagues who are losing their jobs through no fault of their own but due to the impact of this dreadful pandemic.

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“We have worked with unions and staff over the past four months to protect as many jobs as possible, but unfortunately we have to confirm this regrettable news as the business prepares for whatever comes next.”

The airport has added that it used the UK Government’s Job Retention Scheme during the past few months while it considered the best approach for recovering from the pandemic.

Dewar added: “Aviation was one of the industries to be hit first and unfortunately will be one of the last to fully recover, so job losses have been unavoidable. The situation has been exacerbated by the introduction of an ill-thought-out and unworkable blanket quarantine policy, which has massively impacted on passenger numbers.”

Last month, London Luton Airport in the UK announced that it may lay off 250 airport workers due to the Covid-19 pandemic.