British-based low-cost airline EasyJet announced Thursday it is cutting 4,500 jobs due to the coronavirus pandemic, which hit the aviation sector deeply.
FIRM WILL REDUCE COSTS
“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,” Johan Lundgren, the firm’s CEO, said in a press release.
Saying the firm is focused on the long term, he added: “Although we will restart flying on 15 June, we expect demand to build slowly, only returning to 2019 levels in about three years’ time.”
The firm will also reduce costs and non-critical expenditures, he underlined.
Oliver Richardson, from Unite, said: “The UK is an island nation and aviation is strategically crucial for the long-term economic success of the country.” He added that the aviation sector requires urgent financial support to deal with coronavirus’s impact.