and 'the worlds favourite airline' are the ones boasting this week about how they have 9bn in the bank and are the first to come out with compulsory redundancies. Classy.

If it's help with paying the mortgage and the food bills, then that's a separate aim - achieving this and this alone would likely be achieved far more simply and at a much lower cost than UK plc buying up hundreds of aircraft. Buying up aircraft has the additional concern of wondering when air transport demand will substantially return and when airlines would be strong enough to buy aircraft from the Govt (instead of trying to lease them from a 3rd party !). Fundamentally, buying up used aircraft would end up as an indirect subsidy to Airbus/Boeing by preventing a flood of 2nd hand aircraft on the leasing market - not a Govt function.

Is it best use of tax payers money putting billions into saving airlines and their assets or saving substantially more jobs from small and medium sized businesses?

One thing is for sure, it will take years for aviation to get back to where it was.

Granted. So surely the simplest way is to assist companies to get through this?. Not bail out. That's a whole different kettle of fish.

Who knows. Everyone is affected. Who picks who dies and who lives? But aviation has some relatively high contributors to hmrc coffers. A lot of money to lose. I would say the company has to prove it was profitable pre-covid to prove its worth saving.

Not decisions I would like to be making.

It's too big to loose to the economy both direct and indirect employment that stems for the aviation industry and wider travel industry.

I personally say this - scrap HS2 now. Waste of money. Use that to prop the aviation industry up, and the remainder money use too elsewhere. Every business in the UK should be saved.

...and indeed
Source: ansa.it

Brussels Airlines will now suspend ALL operations...
https://aeronewsglobal.com/brussels-...st-april-19th/

Austrian Airlines will ground its entire fleet tomorrow.

One of the key problems is that money is needed more urgently at the 'bottom' of the ladder, for the people with mortgages and bills to pay. Govts are only used to giving money to the 'top' of the ladder to corporates and their own works.

Putting money in at the top is not great as so little will reach the bottom. This needs a complete rethink by Govt and central banks. Neither of which are renowned for being able to change their entire way of thinking. Leave alone in the space of two weeks.

Three words: Universal Basic Income.

Don’t bail out businesses: bail out (unemployed) individuals.

Yes, indeed ara01jbb In emergency times a good thing to do. The UK has zero experience of this and govt that ignores most people, favouring the City and corporates.

CAPA predict most "world airlines" will be bankrupt by May.

https://centreforaviation.com/analys...nkrupt-517512/

Yup nationalise the airlines............... remind me how good the Govt is at running businesses.

In Gatwick airport today and was told that North Terminal is to be shuttered in next couple of days, 2 piers shut in South terminal and potentially they looking at 10 flights a day by end of month.

Which is why I suggested that the government should purchase the assets but leave it to airlines to operate them.

A country like China can eliminate the virus with time and draconian measures. They then relax their containment measures but open borders lets the virus back in so it all kicks off again. This is why borders could remain closed for an open ended period with aircraft and airlines grounded far longer than any 737 Max ban.

This could also kill off the Max order book. As Boeing has failed to deliver the airlines will have the right to cancel.

They do an excellent job with LNER

It’s roughly the model they used to stop Lloyds and RBS going bust....

Good news.....

UK daily increase in cases 10% - lowest since records began....
Ireland 30%
Italy 13%
Spain 18%
France 22%
Netherlands 24%
USA 20+%

We might get over it as a country quicker but that depends on the numbers later today to see if it is just a spot day or trend...

Trouble is even if we get sorted super quick - the high street will come back quicker but not the airlines....
Fingers crossed we are still at 10% or lower tomorrow!

Can't help but think you're clutching at straws here dude.