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Up to 900 jobs to be cut at Aer Lingus amid collapse in demand for air travel

Up to 900 jobs are to be cut at Aer Lingus. It comes just hours after Ryanair announced plans to ...
Stephen McNeice
Stephen McNeice

14.15 1 May 2020


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Up to 900 jobs to be cut at Ae...

Up to 900 jobs to be cut at Aer Lingus amid collapse in demand for air travel

Stephen McNeice
Stephen McNeice

14.15 1 May 2020


Share this article


Up to 900 jobs are to be cut at Aer Lingus.

It comes just hours after Ryanair announced plans to cut up to 3,000 jobs, as the industry struggles to cope with the impact of COVID-19 and the widespread grounding of flights.

Aer Lingus met with unions this morning to tell them it needs to reduce its head count by up to 20% due to the collapse in demand for air travel.

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The company employs 4,500 people, meaning up to 900 jobs are at risk.

The airline is putting together a proposal for a voluntary redundancy scheme, which will then be put to unions.

In a brief statement, Aer Lingus says its continuing to communicate directly with its employees and engage with their representative bodies.

Responding to the news, the Labour party said "urgent Government intervention" is now needed.

Labour TD Duncan Smith said: “My thoughts today are with the workers who face uncertainty.

"The Government need to extend the Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme for industries that are going to be key for getting us back on track such as Aer Lingus.

“It is clear that the government need to take urgent action to address the potential torrent of job losses that could occur at Dublin Airport between Aer Lingus and Ryanair."

Deputy Smith also called on the airlines to do "everything they can to keep people in their jobs".

The Aer Lingus news comes only days after its parent company IAG warned that it will take "several years" to get passenger numbers back to 2019 levels.

The firm has also announced plans to consult with British Airways over redundancy plans, which could affect up to 12,000 jobs.

Main image: File photo of Aer Lingus planes at Dublin Airport. Photograph: Leon Farrell / RollingNews.ie

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