EASYJET is set to cut around 3,000 jobs after announcing plans to reduce its workforce by up to 30 per cent.
The low-cost airline said the move is part of measures to restructure its business following the coronavirus pandemic.
A consultation process with staff will be launched over the following days.
EasyJet is the latest airline to announce job as the spread of Covid-19 continues to cripple the travel industry.
British Airways is cutting 12,000 jobs while Ryanair has warned up to 3,250 jobs could be slashed.
It comes as flights have been grounded at an unprecedented rate during the pandemic, while Brits have been forced to cancel and reschedule their holidays.
EasyJet has grounded its entire fleet of 330 aircraft and cancelled all flights.
The airline, which employs around 10,000 members of staff, according to its website, is currently furloughing workers.
Johan Lundgren, chief executive of easyJet, said: “We realise that these are very difficult times and we are having to consider very difficult decisions which will impact our people, but we want to protect as many jobs as we can for the long-term.
“We remain focused on doing what is right for the company and its long-term health and success, following the swift action we have taken over the last three months to meet the challenges of the virus.”
EasyJet is due to restart flights from June 15 – but Mr Lundgren says he expects demand to “build slowly” and only return to 2019 levels in three years’ time.
He continued: “Against this backdrop, we are planning to reduce the size of our fleet and to optimise the network and our bases.
“As a result, we anticipate reducing staff numbers by up to 30 per cent across the business and we will continue to remove cost and non-critical expenditure at every level. We will be launching an employee consultation over the coming days.
“We want to ensure that we emerge from the pandemic an even more competitive business than before, so that easyJet can thrive in the future.”
More to follow…
