Airline Jet2 has denied reports suggesting its chief executive Steve Heapy blamed 'lazy Brits who live off benefits and sit on their arses' for potential travel disruption. Mr Heapy was alleged to have made the remarks at a meeting between Department for Transport ministers and airlines bosses.
The meeting was designed to resolve the chaos seen across UK airports in the past month. The Sun reportedly said the Jet2 CEO was 'rumoured' to have made the comments.
But Jet2 says these are 'categorically not' the views of Mr Heapy or the airline itself. The company also emphasised its record of zero cancellations during the past few weeks, reports the Independent.
A Jet2.com and Jet2holidays spokesperson said: “As a UK airline and tour operator that has, unlike others, not made any cancellations thanks to our proactive recruitment strategy, we are extremely proud of our hardworking British colleagues who continue to deliver award-winning customer service for UK customers every day. During a meeting with government and industry on Friday, Mr Heapy expressed his frustrations with the current employment market - as Brexit has taken hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people out of the job market and that is having an impact on many industries, including ours. To clarify, the other reports being circulated are categorically not the views of Mr Heapy or our proudly UK-based company.”
According to the Sun, industry leaders warned they had struggled to replace staff lost to the pandemic amid widespread delays at airports up and down the country. This has led to calls to recruit European workers to fill the roles - something the government reportedly rejected.
