Thousands of jobs are to be cut at Ryanair and Aer Lingus as both airlines continue to grapple with the grounding of virtually all air traffic due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Talks took place between Aer Lingus management and unions on Friday, and those talks were focused on the airline’s plans to cut up to 20 per cent of its entire workforce. Aer Lingus has a headcount of about 4,500 staff, meaning 900 jobs are at risk. A statement from Aer Lingus said: “Aer Lingus is continuing to communicate directly with our employees and engage with their representative bodies.”Fórsa, a union representing airline workers, said Aer Lingus is expected to add more detail at the latter half of next week. It is understood that Aer Lingus is forecasting its business in June, July and August to be between 10 and 15 per cent of what had it anticipated prior to the Covid-19 crisis.

Source: The Irish Times May 01, 2020 06:30 UTC