EasyJet is closing its bases at London Stansted, London Southend and Newcastle Airport. The airline has reached an agreement on voluntary layoff and redundancy conditions with trade union Unite.
EasyJet will cease based operations from London Stansted, London Southend and Newcastle from 31 August 2020. London Stansted and Newcastle will remain part of easyJet’s route network. “We have had to take the very difficult decision to close three UK bases as a result of the unprecedented impact of the pandemic and related travel restrictions, compounded by quarantine measures in the UK which is impacting demand for travel. I know this is a very difficult time for our pilots and crew and I would like to thank them for their continued professionalism,” says easyJet CEO Johan Lundgren.
The airline wants to limit the number of redundancies as much as possible by offering voluntary layoff packages and by looking at additional options such as part-time and seasonal contracts. “As a result the number of compulsory redundancies will be significantly reduced, for example through the consultation process with Unite. 93% of our cabin crew who were at risk of redundancy have opted for an enhanced voluntary redundancy package.”
“We will be informing affected customers of their options which include transferring to another airport or receiving a full refund in the coming days,” the easyJet stated on Monday. Since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, the airline has taken several steps to cut costs and non-critical expenditures at every level of the business to mitigate the crisis’ impact. IATA forecasts suggest however that 2019 levels of demand will likely not be reached before 2024.