European airline EasyJet to lay off a 3rd of staff as Covid-19 hits travel

European budget airline eastJet said Thursday that it plans to cut up to a third of its workforce as it restructures amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The airline did not specify how many jobs would go, but some 15,000 were employed at the start of 2020.
 

CEO Johan Lundgren, says the carrier remains focused on doing what is right for the company and its long-term health and success.'' EasyJet plans to resume limited service on June 15, but estimates that it may take three years to get back to 2019 demand levels.

Lundgren says that against this backdrop, we are planning to reduce the size of our fleet and to optimise the network and our bases.