Balpa said the cash would be vital this winder due to a drop in demand caused by the emergence of the Omicron variant of Covid-19, and the government’s response to the new strain.
"Airlines have made huge losses through two bad summer seasons and now face another winter of uncertainty, changing restrictions and government suppressed demand, severely reducing income," said Balpa, which represents more than 10,000 pilots in the UK.
The union said the cash would be vital to ensuring safety over the coming months, with an unprecedented number of pilots requiring training to refresh their skills and "rebuild resilience" ahead of returning to the cockpit.
"This training is costly and takes time, but it is vital to flight safety and underpins the future prosperity of the UK," said Balpa. "Existing requirements for training and recency were not designed with such a prolonged slow-down in mind."
Balpa wants the government to work with the CAA to deliver training, the cost of which it estimates will run to around £15 million.
"This is a sliver of the support that was given to shore up losses made because of government restrictions over the past 18 months and comes just as airlines were seeing a return to profitability – a status now in decline due to Omicron," said Balpa.
‘Unprecedented situation’
General secretary Martin Chalk said the government’s action on Omicron had "wrecked confidence" in air travel and made it "significantly more expensive and stressful".
"Airlines are seeing both booking cancellations and a huge drop in demand," said Chalk. "Government needs to recognise the challenges that these restrictions are having on the bottom line for air operators, and that they must address the impact this has on resilience.
"The motor skills pilots and other safety staff need are analogous to riding a bike, they are not easily forgotten and are quickly trained to competence. However, the need to become resilient, to be able to prioritise and manage workload in the real-world environment, is more challenging and needs both practice and exposure.
"These are both expensive to bring up to speed, not required by the legal minimum return to work standards and yet, in this unprecedented situation are vital for safety."
