EasyJet to slash staff by 30% as it warns business won't fully recover until 2023

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EasyJet will slash 30% of its staff as the company warns flight demand will not fully recover until 2023.

The company, which has been hit hard by coronavirus, said it will launch an employee consultation process on proposals to reduce staff numbers.

Johan Lundgren, easyJet chief executive said: "We realise that these are very difficult times and we are having to consider very difficult decisions which will impact our people, but we want to protect as many jobs as we can for the long-term.

"As a result, we anticipate reducing staff numbers by up to 30% across the business and we will continue to remove cost and non-critical expenditure at every level. We will be launching an employee consultation over the coming days."

The job cuts come as the airline looks to slash costs across the group. The firm said it will cut its marketing budget, as well as spend on ground handlers and maintenance.

Easyjet said it had enough money to survive, adding that "cash burn during grounding has been broadly in line with our estimates published in April".

Last week the low cost carrier said it planned to start flying again in the UK and France from 15 June as lockdown measures are eased.

The company said bookings on the resumed flights had so far been encouraging albeit from a low base.

But the carrier warned flight demand will not fully recover until 2023.

The company added: "We believe that the levels of market demand seen in 2019 are not likely to be reached again until 2023."

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