A pilot who lost his dream job following the collapse of beleaguered airline Flybe has turned to trucking to help deliver vital supplies across the UK during the coronavirus outbreak.
After spending £100,000 (Dh457,480) on training to become a pilot, Aaron Leventhal was left "shattered and devastated" last month when Europe’s largest regional airline Flybe went into administration.
The firm collapsed just weeks before the impact of coronavirus was truly realised.
With the outbreak seeing planes grounded and flights suspended, the 36-year-old decided to take up a different position to help in the UK's coronavirus efforts to help keep shop shelves stocked.
"I was absolutely devastated when Flybe went under," he told The National.
"From the age of 13 I wanted to be a pilot, I trained throughout my 20s, to realise my dream. It has cost me £100,000 and I worked as a petrol tanker driver to help pay for it.
"When Flybe went into administration I saw a job advertised as a truck driver to take deliveries to supermarkets, they were desperate for staff to help keep the shelves full during the lockdown.
"I just wanted to do my bit to help, the real heroes are the NHS workers on the frontline. I feel a sense of pride being able to help though."
More than 2,500 people lost their jobs when Flybe collapsed in March less than two months after the UK government had announced a rescue deal.
The airline’s owners Connect Airways – a consortium of Virgin Atlantic, Stobart Air and the hedge fund Cyrus Capital – had purchased it just over a year earlier.
On Monday, Sir Richard Branson warned that airline Virgin Atlantic needed £500m government support to survive.
Mr Leventhal now works for supermarket firm Tesco and says he has been overwhelmed by the support he has received.
He shared the loss of his job and his new role on LinkedIn and so far more than 3 million people have viewed his post.
"It breaks my heart not flying, but I'm lucky to get work during this time," he said.
"It took me 10 years to become a pilot, I self-funded myself. I had been with Flybe for 13 months when this happened. I'm not going to give up on my dream and I hope when airlines begin recruiting again I can get back into the air but for now it is still rewarding being able to play my part."
Flybe had operated 40 per cent of the UK's domestic flights and was used by 8 million people.
The firm's administrator said coronavirus had “added pressures” on the travel industry that had made Flybe's precarious financial situation worse.
The UK government is presently working with the industry to save key routes.
It had operated from airports including Belfast, Southampton, Manchester and Birmingham.
It was the second major British airline to go bankrupt in six months after the collapse of Thomas Cook last year.
Globally, airlines are looking at ways to not only contain the coronavirus but also reduce costs as revenues dry up.
Last month Emirates Airline staff took a temporary pay cut and Cathay Pacific in Hong Kong reduced its passenger capacity by 96 per cent until May.
Singapore Airlines has also announced a 96 per cent drop in flights until at least the end of April.
Meanwhile, American Airlines said it was reducing flights by up to 75 per cent last week.
More from Aya Iskandarani
bundesliga results
Mainz 0 Augsburg 1 (Niederlechner 1')
Schalke 1 (Caligiuri pen 51') Bayer Leverkusen 1 (Miranda og 81')
THE CLOWN OF GAZA
Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah
Starring: Alaa Meqdad
Rating: 4/5
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
Bugatti Chiron Super Sport - the specs:
Engine: 8.0-litre quad-turbo W16
Transmission: 7-speed DSG auto
Power: 1,600hp
Torque: 1,600Nm
0-100kph in 2.4seconds
0-200kph in 5.8 seconds
0-300kph in 12.1 seconds
Top speed: 440kph
Price: Dh13,200,000
Bugatti Chiron Pur Sport - the specs:
Engine: 8.0-litre quad-turbo W16
Transmission: 7-speed DSG auto
Power: 1,500hp
Torque: 1,600Nm
0-100kph in 2.3 seconds
0-200kph in 5.5 seconds
0-300kph in 11.8 seconds
Top speed: 350kph
Price: Dh13,600,000
What is a Ponzi scheme?
A fraudulent investment operation where the scammer provides fake reports and generates returns for old investors through money paid by new investors, rather than through ligitimate business activities.
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
The%20specs%3A%202024%20Mercedes%20E200
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2.0-litre%20four-cyl%20turbo%20%2B%20mild%20hybrid%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E204hp%20at%205%2C800rpm%20%2B23hp%20hybrid%20boost%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E320Nm%20at%201%2C800rpm%20%2B205Nm%20hybrid%20boost%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E9-speed%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFuel%20consumption%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E7.3L%2F100km%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENovember%2FDecember%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh205%2C000%20(estimate)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 247hp at 6,500rpm
Torque: 370Nm from 1,500-3,500rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 7.8L/100km
Price: from Dh94,900
On sale: now
