ATLANTA (dpa-AFX) - Virgin Atlantic said it will cut 3,150 jobs, due to the coronavirus crisis that affects the entire travel and aviation industry. The airline will move its flying programme from London Gatwick to London Heathrow, with the intention of retaining its slot portfolio at London Gatwick.
The airline said it is working closely with unions BALPA and Unite, and a company-wide consultation period of 45 days begins today.
Shai Weiss, CEO, Virgin Atlantic said, 'We have weathered many storms since our first flight 36 years ago, but none has been as devastating as Covid-19 and the associated loss of life and livelihood for so many.'
Following the pattern of previous crises including 9/11 and the Global Financial Crisis, capacity across the aviation industry will significantly reduce, with recovery to pre-crisis levels expected to take up to three years, Virgin Atlantic said.
Virgin Atlantic said it will no longer use all of its seven 747-400s, with four A330-200 aircraft retiring in early 2022 as planned. By 2022 the simplified, greener fleet will comprise of 36 twin engine aircraft reducing CO2/RTK emissions by an estimated further 10%, building on the 18% efficiency already achieved between 2007-2019.
Recently, Ryanair Airlines had said it plans a restructuring and job loss program to commence from July 2020, which may result in the loss of up to 3,000 mainly pilot and cabin crew jobs.
Last week, British Airways announced plans to cut nearly 12,000 jobs at the UK carrier as Covid-19 pandemic continues to wreak havoc on the aviation industry.
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