France's Occitanie May Suffer 20,000 Job Cuts In Aviation Sector Due To Pandemic Crisis

France's Occitanie May Suffer 20,000 Job Cuts in Aviation Sector Due to Pandemic Crisis

Some 20,000 jobs in the aviation sector are under risk in the French region of Occitanie due to the coronavirus pandemic and subsequent cuts to air traffic, the president of the region, Carole Delga, said on Friday on the RTL broadcaster

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 03rd July, 2020) Some 20,000 jobs in the aviation sector are under risk in the French region of Occitanie due to the coronavirus pandemic and subsequent cuts to air traffic, the president of the region, Carole Delga, said on Friday on the RTL broadcaster.

France's aviation sector has suffered unprecedented losses since the lockdown was introduced in the country in mid-March and the health crisis slashed passenger flights and aircraft orders, putting thousands of jobs at risk.

"In total, we will approach the 20,000 jobs that can be threatened on the Occitanie region. It's a very very strong shock," Delga said, adding that the aviation sector "has never experienced such a crisis".

Notably, on Tuesday, Europe's largest aircraft manufacturer, Airbus, unveiled a plan for 15,000 layoffs worldwide, including 5,000 in France and over 3,500 in Toulouse, the capital of the Occitanie region, to overcome the coronavirus crisis.

Moreover, the Air France-KLM group announced earlier in May a net loss of 1.8 billion Euros (over $2 billion) in the first quarter of 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The French government unveiled in mid-June a rescue package of 15 billion euros to the coronavirus-battered aerospace industry, which includes aid measures for Airbus and Air France, as well as other companies in the sector.

In the same appearance, Delga also commented on French President Emmanuel Macron's intention to move ahead with the pension reform project, which triggered national protests and was suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Pension reform is not what will save jobs. In order to save jobs, long-term partial unemployment must be introduced, the economy must be revived. It also needs public money to be invested in sectors that can bounce back easily," Delga said.

The pension reform that the French President sponsors will replace 42 different pension schemes with a universal, points-based system. Certain categories of retirees fear they will lose their perks.