BUSINESS NEWS


BA is seeking to make 12,000 staff redundant


Airlines to slash jobs in face of crisis downturn


BA, Virgin and Ryanair among carriers planning redundancies. Ian Taylor reports


A wholesale restructuring of major airlines is under way with many announcing mass redundancies. British Airways gave notice of up to


12,000 job losses, 30% of its workforce, last week and in a leaked memo warned it may pull out of Gatwick. Virgin Atlantic put more than


3,000 jobs – a third of its workforce – under consultation on Tuesday as part of restructure plans that will see the airline move its Gatwick programme to Heathrow and the Virgin Holidays brand renamed Virgin Atlantic Holidays. Ryanair announced plans to axe


3,000 pilots and cabin crew, up to 15% of its workforce, with chief executive


34 7 MAY 2020


Michael O’Leary complaining: “The market has been turned on its head.” The budget giant will also seek a


20% cut in pay rates and close aircraft bases as it forecast it will take at least two years for a return to 2019 levels of demand. SAS Scandinavian Airlines


announced the loss of up to 5,000 jobs or almost half its workforce. Ryanair, which carried just 40,000


passengers in April compared with 13.5 million in April 2019, said it expects to operate less than 1% of its flying programme through to the end of June. It reported: “While some return to services is expected in the July-September quarter, Ryanair


expects to carry no more than 50% of its original traffic target [for the year].” In late April, O’Leary suggested


Ryanair could be operating 80% of its scheduled flights by September. The carrier noted: “Consumer


confidence will be impacted by public health restrictions such as temperature checks at airports and face coverings for passengers and staff.” However, it also forecast “significant discounting”. BA announced swingeing job


cuts despite parent IAG securing government bailouts worth more than €1 billion for the group’s Spanish


Continued on page 32 travelweekly.co.uk


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