A petition to help save aviation jobs in East Anglia has received more than 10,000 signatures within 12 hours of being set up.

The petition to save EasyJet jobs has received widespread support from across the aviation industry and has now been backed by more than 20,000 people.

EasyJet proposed to close its hubs at Stansted, Southend and Newcastle and cut up to 30pc of its work force due to the impact of Covid-19.

The description of the petition says: “UK government need to give the aviation sector more money and a longer furlough period. EasyJet are making thousands of redundancies and closing bases. We have given years of our lives to this company and need help to keep our livelihoods. To us it’s not just our job, it’s our life.”

One signatory of the petition, who asked to remain anonymous, said: “It’s been shared by cabin crew from lots of airlines like BA and Virgin. I’ve got friends that work for BA who are waiting to find out what’s going to happen and a friend who works for Virgin who has been made redundant and is now working night shifts at a supermarket. They’re all sharing it because everyone in the aviation industry is in a similar situation at the moment. Every airline is making redundancies and we’re all trying to look after each other.”

The signatory, who works in the aviation industry, said: “This thing that we’ve got that will help us at the moment. It wouldn’t be an easy situation to find a job in and I’ve got a young baby as well.

In a statement John Lundgren, EasyJet chief executive, said: “These are very difficult proposals to put forward in what is an unprecedented and difficult time for the airline and the industry as a whole. We are focused on doing what is right for the company and its long term health and success so we can protect jobs going forward.

“Unfortunately the lower demand environment means we need fewer aircraft and have less opportunity for work for our people - we are committed to working constructively with our employee representatives across the network with the aim of minimising job losses as far as possible.

“These proposals are no reflection on our people at Stansted, Southend and Newcastle, who have all worked tirelessly and have been fully committed to providing great service for our customers.”