Covid19 forces Ryanair to cut 3,000 jobs
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Covid19 forces Ryanair to cut 3,000 jobs

Ryanair are set to axe up to 3,000 jobs as the “unprecedented” coronavirus lockdown has seen the grounding of all flights.

The chief executive Michael O’Leary said, “We have never faced a period like this in the airline industry.”

O’Leary has said many will face pay cuts of up to 20% and pilots and other staff jobs will sadly be cut, as the airline expects to operate under 1% of their schedule between April and June.

Ryanair said in a statement, “As a direct result of the unprecedented Covid-19 crisis, the grounding of all flights from mid-March until at least July, and the distorted state aid landscape in Europe, Ryanair now expects the recovery of passenger demand and pricing [to 2019 levels]will take at least two years, until summer 2022 at the earliest.

“The Ryanair Airlines will shortly notify their trade unions about its restructuring and job loss programme, which will commence from July 2020.

“These plans will be subject to consultation but will affect all Ryanair Airlines and may result in the loss of up to 3,000 mainly pilot and cabin crew jobs, unpaid leave and pay cuts of up to 20%, and the closure of a number of aircraft bases across Europe until traffic recovers.

“Job cuts and pay cuts will also be extended to head office and back office teams. Group CEO Michael O’Leary, whose pay was cut by 50% for April and May, has now agreed to extend this 50% pay cut for the remainder of the financial year to March 2021.”

The budget airline expects it will take two years to recover with passenger demand, until 2022 at the earliest.

A further 175 will be lost resulting from “efficiency changes,” in a letter seen by Sky News, which will have a reduction of 1,130 pilots from the total of 4,346.

Operations at Gatwick are currently suspended, and is around a fifth as big as Heathrow Airport.

In a memo seen by BBC News written by the head of the Gatwick hub reads, “As you know, we suspended our Gatwick flying schedule at the start of April and there is no certainty as to when or if these services can or will return.”

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