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Government paid British Airways and Virgin £123 million to import PPE
Unions slam government for failing to repurpose factories in Britain to make gowns, face shields and masks
British Airways
by Lamiat Sabin
Parliamentary Reporter
BRITAIN’S two biggest airlines have been paid more than £123 million to import personal protection equipment (PPE) from China during the pandemic, the Morning Star can reveal.
Contracts show that the Department for Health & Social Care (DHSC) spent almost £68m on British Airways Boeing 787 flights and more than £55m on Virgin flights since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The revelation has intensified trade-union calls for the government to form a strategy to build a strong domestic manufacturing base to make PPE, vaccine vials, and support the creation of more jobs.
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