As the coronavirus pandemic continues to spread, Norwegian is the latest airline to be hit as it announced on Thursday evening that it is cancelling over 4,000 flights and implementing temporary layoffs to half of its staff.
In a statement on its site it said: “Following the U.S. ban on travel from most of Europe and the escalating coronavirus situation, Norwegian has decided to ground 40 percent of its long-haul fleet and cancel up to 25 percent of its short-haul flights until the end of May. The changes apply to the company’s entire route network.”
The airline has announced it will cancel 40 per cent of its long-haul flights and 25 per cent of its short-haul offerings. From March 13 to 29, the majority of long-haul flights to the US from Amsterdam, Madrid, Oslo, Stockholm, Barcelona and Paris will be cancelled.
From March 13 to the end of May, all Norwegian flights from Rome to the US will be cancelled, and flights to the US from Paris, Barcelona, Madrid, Amsterdam, Athens and Oslo will be cancelled from March 29 until the end of April.
Norwegian’s route from London Gatwick to the US is going ahead as normal.
It added that its short-haul flights will be heavily impacted, and customers booked on affected flights will be contacted to discuss their options.
Jacob Schram, CEO of Norwegian said in a statement: “This is an unprecedented situation and our main priority continues to be the care and safety of our customers and colleagues. The new restrictions imposed further pressure on an already difficult situation. We urge international governments to act now to ensure that the aviation industry can protect jobs and continue to be a vital part of the global economic recovery.”
The airline has also said it will implement temporary layoffs for 50 per cent of its staff due to the ‘extraordinary market situation as a result of the coronavirus’ and subsequent ‘dramatic drop in customers’.
It said: “During a pandemic it is Norwegian’s policy to prioritize and safeguard the health and well-being of employees while ensuring Norwegian's ability to maintain essential operations and continue providing services to our customers.
“All departments will be affected by the temporary layoffs. We have initiated, in consultation with the unions, a discussion and mapping process and will then return with leave notices to affected departments, stations and employees.”
As coronavirus continues to spread, Norwegian has said the number of staff layoffs could increase.
