Norwegian Air has announced plans to lay off 4,700 pilots and crew members as it grapples with the negative impacts of COVID-19 that has seen all its international flights suspended.
The company has also declared its Swedish and Danish subsidiaries bankrupt.
The impact the Coronavirus has had on the airline industry is unprecedented. We have done everything we can to avoid making this last-resort decision, including asking for access to government support in both Sweden and Denmark.
Norwegian Air CEO, Jacob Schram
The layoffs will not affect about 700 pilots and 1,300 cabin crew based in Norway, France, and Italy. This is because, in Norway, the government pays for all salary-related costs throughout the duration of the furlough period, a providence that is unavailable in Sweden and Denmark.
In Africa, South Africa’s national airline, South African Airways (SAA) has announced plans to fire all its staff with effect from 30th April 2020.
Norwegian Air is a Norwegian low-cost airline and Norway’s largest airline. It is the third largest low-cost carrier in Europe behind EasyJet and Ryanair, and the ninth-largest low-cost airline in the world.
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