Up to around 5,000 jobs are under threat at Upper Crust and Caffe Ritazza owner SSP amid a shake-up following plunging passengers numbers at railway stations and airports due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The group warned it expects to open only around a fifth of its sites in the UK by the autumn as travel is set to remain at very low levels amid the Covid-19 crisis.

It has launched a consultation on a restructure to "simplify and reshape" the business in the face of the pandemic, which it said could lead to more than half of its 9,000-strong peak season workforce being axed.

The group said head office and UK staff would be affected by the cuts.

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Rail union RMT said the "savage" job cuts highlight the need for the Government to step in and help the rail sector and support services amid the coronavirus crisis.

SSP chief executive Simon Smith said: "In the UK the pace of the recovery continues to be slow.

"In response to this, we are now taking further action to protect the business and create the right base from which to rebuild our operations.

"Regrettably, we are starting a collective consultation which will affect our UK colleagues.

"These are extremely difficult decisions, and our main priority will be to conduct the process carefully and fairly."

SSP has around 570 sites across 130 airport and railway stations in the UK and Ireland, but also has operations in 35 countries worldwide.

It runs travel sites for chains such as Burger King, M&S Simply Food and Starbucks, while it also has its own brands including Millie's and Upper Crust.

The firm has so far not launched any "material" restructuring in its other global operations, as it believes there will be a faster bounce back outside the UK.

SSP has seen sales almost entirely wiped out in April and May, down around 95% and, despite a slight recovery in June, revenues were still around 90% lower last month.

It recently warned over operating losses of up to £250 million for the second half of its financial year.

The firm said despite some tentative signs of a recovery in the travel sector, rail passenger numbers still remain around 85% lower than a year earlier and the air sector has stayed largely closed until recently.

It believes that short-haul air travel may see a limited pick-up in July thanks to so-called air bridges between countries over the summer holiday season, but it does not expect a meaningful pick-up in airport and train passenger numbers.

Mr Smith said: "The objective of the action that we are proposing today is to ensure that we manage through this pandemic, rebuild our business as demand recovers and, in time, deliver long term sustainable growth for the benefit of all our stakeholders."

He added the group will keep open the possibility of opening more sites if it sees sales improve over the summer.

Mick Lynch, assistant general secretary at rail union RMT, said the "savage job cuts shows that support services across the rail industry are facing a real crisis in the months ahead which will hammer both the workforce and those who rely on their facilities if the Government doesn't intervene as the lockdown eases".

Aerospace giant Airbus is planning to cut 1,700 jobs in the UK as a result of the coronavirus crisis, the company announced.

The company is cutting 15,000 jobs across its global operations.

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It said there would be no direct impact at this stage at sites in Scotland, which include a helicopter hub in Aberdeen and a site near Glasgow which it said is defence-related.

However, Airbus said previously that it has major impact on the labour market across the UK and it said it supports the wider employment of 8,000 people in Scotland.

In February Spirit AeroSystems, the aircraft wing component manufacturer, said it would create about 100 jobs in Prestwick where it is to make wing components for the Airbus A320.

The main sites affected are Broughton in north Wales, where wings are manufactured, and Filton in Bristol.

Airbus said in its statement: "Airbus has announced plans to adapt its global workforce and resize its commercial aircraft activity in response to the Covid-19 crisis.

"This adaptation is expected to result in a reduction of around 15,000 positions no later than summer 2021.

"The information and consultation process with social partners has begun with a view to reaching agreements for implementation starting in autumn 2020."

Airbus said commercial aircraft business activity has dropped by almost 40% in recent months as the industry faces an "unprecedented" crisis.

The statement continued: "Airbus is grateful for the Government support that has enabled the company to limit these necessary adaptation measures.

"However with air traffic not expected to recover to pre-Covid levels before 2023 and potentially as late as 2025, Airbus now needs to take additional measures to reflect the post Covid-19 industry outlook."

Chief executive Guillaume Faury said: "Airbus is facing the gravest crisis this industry has ever experienced.

"The measures we have taken so far have enabled us to absorb the initial shock of this global pandemic. Now, we must ensure that we can sustain our enterprise and emerge from the crisis as a healthy, global aerospace leader, adjusting to the overwhelming challenges of our customers.

"To confront that reality, we must now adopt more far-reaching measures. Our management team and our board of directors are fully committed to limiting the social impact of this adaptation.

"We thank our governmental partners as they help us preserve our expertise and know-how as much as possible and have played an important role in limiting the social impact of this crisis in our industry. The Airbus teams and their skills and competences will enable us to pursue our ambition to pioneer a sustainable future for aerospace."

Paul Everitt, chief executive of trade body ADS said: "This is undoubtedly the toughest period the global aerospace industry has ever faced.

"Being the largest commercial aircraft company in the UK, Airbus is central to our aerospace industry and has a close relationship with its highly-integrated UK supply chain. This difficult news will be unsettling for their employees and those working as part of the supply chain.

"The aerospace industry contributes to the UK's prosperity and international competitiveness and our highly-skilled workforce is primed to play a huge role in creating the sustainable aircraft of the future. We have already seen tens of thousands of jobs across the aviation and aerospace sectors put at risk as a result of this crisis.

"Government action to support the wider economy has been greatly appreciated across the aerospace industry, but further measures are urgently required to support a strong recovery in our sector. This should include increased investment in UK innovation, help to recapitalise the supply chain and using public procurement to support high-value UK manufacturing."

Airbus is also planning to cut 5,000 jobs in France, 5,100 in Germany, 900 in Spain and 1,300 positions at its other worldwide sites.

No immediate breakdown of job losses in Broughton and Filton will be given.

Sainsbury's has posted bumper trading for the past quarter as digital sales more than doubled during the lockdown.

The supermarket group said total sales jumped by 8.5% for the 16 weeks to June 27, amid strong demand for store-cupboard essentials.

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However, it said it expects profits to take a hit of more than £500 million due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, although this will be "broadly offset by business rates relief and stronger grocery sales".

New chief executive Simon Roberts also warned investors "we do not expect the current strong sales growth to continue" as he stressed that the coming months would continue to be challenging.

Grocery sales surged 10.5% during the quarter as online grocery orders rose to 650,000 per week from 370,000 for the same period last year.

Sainsbury's also reported a 7.2% increase in general merchandise sales as it was boosted by strong figures in its Argos business despite stores being shut for most of the quarter.

Argos sales increased by 10.7% as it was boosted by a 78% jump in home delivery sales, while click-and-collect sales increased by 53%.

Shoppers bought fewer clothes from the business during the period, with sales sliding by 26.7%.

Mr Roberts said: "The last four months have been extraordinary in so many ways and our colleagues have done an amazing job adapting our business.

"They have worked tirelessly to keep everyone safe, to help feed the nation and to support our communities and the most vulnerable in society.

"A number of the decisions we have made have materially increased costs but meant that we have done the right thing for our customers and set us up well for the future."

Julie Palmer, partner at Begbies Traynor, said: "Simon Roberts may have only just gotten his feet under the table at Sainsbury's, but the chief executive is facing the task of navigating the supermarket through the murky economic waters of Covid-19.

"Although grocery sales have spiked during the past few months, the increased costs retailers have had to absorb from disruptions to the supply chain and the implementation of social distancing measures have rocked the boat, with the business's profitability taking a hit.

"However, Sainsbury's remains in a stable position with the company's acquisition of Argos improving its online offering, which has proven fruitful during lockdown, while the relief in business rates from the Government has eased any immediate financial pressures."

Shares in the company moved 1.3% higher at 211.4p in early trading.