Norwegian Air to cut 4,000 extra flights and lay off half its staff

Norwegian Air will scrap another 4,000 flights and temporarily lay off up to half of its employees due to the coronavirus outbreak, the company said on Thursday. On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump ordered sweeping restrictions on travel from Europe for the next 30 days in a bid to halt the spread of the virus. The US restrictions are a particularly severe blow for Norwegian Air, a pioneer in transatlantic budget travel and the largest foreign airline serving the New York region and several other US cities. Around 40% of its long-haul fleet will be grounded until the end of May, the company said. Flights to the United States from Paris, Barcelona, Amsterdam, Madrid, Athens and Oslo will be cancelled, although routes from London's Gatwick Airport will continue as normal as Britain is not affected by the American restrictions. Up to a quarter of short-haul flights have also been axed, the carrier added. The company said earlier this week it would cut around 3,000 flights between mid-March and mid-June.<br/>