A report, Flight Crew Furloughs, is critical of the government, the CAA and individual airlines’ conduct during and after Covid.

It said “typical responses” included one from a captain who observed the government had been “woeful”. “They did not care at all. Quite happy to throw us on the rubbish heap... Aviation and transport in general was an easy win for ministers wanting to look like they were doing something, even though it is well proven that international travel restrictions were completely useless after the virus was detected here.”

Another accused the government of “populism over science and reason at every turn”.

They added: “Having used us as such, they then failed to provide any additional support for what, along with hospitality, was the worst-affected industry on the planet.”

One captain said devolved governments had shown Westminster how to act: “At least with a fragmented system we had more competent leaders (Wales and Scotland) embarrassing the English government to do the right thing, even if it was late.” 

Respondents were also critical of refresher training and support for mental health issues. One pilot from a budget carrier said: “Considering the toll on mental health… I think the CAA could have mandated more extensive training before pilots returned to flying.” Another said “bare minimums simply are not appropriate”. 

There was also a criticism about industrial relations. One captain said: “My employer looked at the pandemic as an opportunity to break agreements, change working practices, slash the workforce and cut pay ... they should have acted with a lot more compassion and kept an eye on the future recovery.”

A budget airline pilot warned working practices needed to change post-pandemic: “More attention needs to be put on fatiguing rosters and mental health. Airlines have taken advantage of people during the pandemic, and terms and conditions have been slashed. 

“Pilots are desperate and more pressure is being put on crews to do more. There is also a drive by some CEOs to pretend to care about wellbeing, but [they] are actually doing the complete opposite.”