JOBS at Bournemouth Airport could be at risk if the aviation sector isn’t stabilised, research has revealed.

Unite the Union said jobs dependent on Bournemouth Airport, including crew, ground staff, engineers and associated retail, transport and other roles, could be swept away without “urgent action” from the government.

The airport contributes more than £24 million a year to the local community.

Approximately 250 workers are employed by the airport, and nearly 3,000 people are employed at the airport’s business park.

Unite has produced a blueprint of how the government should intervene across the entire aviation sector, including airlines and airports, to protect jobs and conditions of workers.

For example, loans would come with strict strings attached regarding executive pay, corporate governance and requiring strict environmental standards to be adopted to radically improve the industry’s carbon footprint.

The blueprint also recognises that in order to secure their future airports the size of Bournemouth may need a different ownership model in order to flourish, with public ownership or a public private partnership being an alternative.

Unite regional officer Janet Wall said: "Airports are hives of economic activity. Bournemouth airport alone pumps £24 million into the local economy, supporting the jobs and livelihoods of scores of workers, from air crew to taxi drivers to shop staff.

"If these jobs go then a huge economic hole will open up in the Bournemouth area and it could take decades to recover.

"Overnight, airports were effectively shut down by the government to protect the public's health, but we are now pleading with government to protect our area's long-term economic security.

"We are not asking for a giveaway but for loans that will be repaid when the sector is back on its feet, and we have support for this from across the political spectrum.

"But the clock is ticking. It is more than two months since the chancellor promised that a support package would be forthcoming for aviation, but he has yet to deliver. The communities that rely on Bournemouth Airport for jobs and their prosperity cannot wait much longer.”

The Department for Transport has been approached for a comment.