LONDON (Reuters) – Britain will publish its aviation recovery plan later this year transport minister Grant Shapps said on Wednesday, adding that he could not give more detail on the timing because of uncertainty caused by coronavirus.
“The best I can give you right now is later this year,” Shapps told a parliamentary committee when asked about the recovery plan, adding that the date of publication would become clearer in the next few weeks.
“We are already working on aspects of it and have been for some time … We can’t publish it until we know where we are with the ending of coronavirus.”
The plan to help the UK’s airlines and airports restart after the pandemic is keenly awaited by the industry after almost a year of travel restrictions has left many of them fighting for survival.
The industry, which has already shed 45,000 jobs, has repeatedly asked the government for more sector specific support.
(Reporting by Sarah Young, editing by Estelle Shirbon)