Sydney’s domestic airport was today virtually a ghost town as the new wave of COVID-19 starts to hit even the largest businesses in Australia.
With three states in lockdown, the domestic airline industry has once again been brought to its knees. Those impacted most have been the airline workers - pilots, cabin attendants, ground crew, baggage handlers, air controllers, food and beverage workers, cleaners and many others.
Qantas is about to receive $2 billion in bailout money from the federal government, which has been criticised for not buying a public stake in the once nationalised air carrier. At the same time, Qantas is warning of further stand-downs if the current lockdowns continue. The company has already seen 8,500 layoffs last year. In that same period, it claimed $726 million in JobKeeper payments.
Part of an ongoing series, ‘COVID-19 Diaries’.
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