International travel means we need a national plan for aviation

No other single event in history has devastated aviation as much as COVID-19. Hard border closures, industry-wide shutdowns and callous worker stand downs without adequate government support pushed the industry to the very brink.

While resuming international travel is great news for workers, without a national plan to protect aviation from future covid outbreaks, the Federal Government risks bringing the industry to its knees again.

That’s why the TWU is campaigning for a COVID-Safe National Transport Roadmap to safely rebuild aviation, and protect workers and passengers from the virus.

The Federal Government must:

• Roll out government-funded rapid pre-flight testing to keep workers and passengers safe, and reduce the risk of covid spreading through airports, and;
• Fix the mess it made of government support for stood down aviation workers by implementing a national plan to get skilled workers back into the industry as a priority.

Only by virus-proofing aviation with a clear national plan can we end yo-yoing restrictions that have thrown the industry into a tailspin and get workers back into the jobs they love.