Virgin Atlantic is preparing to cut almost a third of its 10,000 workforce and close its London Gatwick operations as the airline scales back to survive coronavirus. The airline Tuesday warned it would take up to three years to return to 2019 traffic levels and announced plans to cut up to 3,150 jobs. Virgin Atlantic will exit Gatwick airport, where it has been based for the past 35 years, and move leisure flying to London Heathrow as well as keeping its base at Manchester airport. The move will come as a further blow to the airport after BA signalled it could also bear the brunt of its own job cuts amid warnings its Gatwick operation may not return following the coronavirus crisis. In an internal post to staff, Shai Weiss, CE at Virgin Atlantic, warned current cost measures and support packages were “not enough”. “If we are to safeguard our future and emerge from this crisis a sustainably profitable business, now is the time for further decisive action to reduce our costs and preserve cash,” he wrote. “It has been clear throughout that any potential investor, including HM Government, expects us to have taken all possible self-help measures as a precondition to funding.” Virgin Atlantic plans to retain its slots at Gatwick airport by leasing them out to other airlines, giving it the option to return when the aviation market returns to normal.<br/>
unaligned
Ryanair asked EU judges to cancel EU approval of Sweden’s E455m loan guarantees for airlines, the first of several potential lawsuits targeting European governments’ efforts to rescue selected airlines hit by a collapse in air traffic. Ryanair’s filing at the EU’s General Court on May 1 argues that Sweden violated EU law by limiting state guarantees on loans to airlines that had a Swedish commercial aviation license on Jan. 1, effectively shutting out the Irish carrier and other airlines that operate services in Sweden but base planes elsewhere in Europe. Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary accused governments of bailing out their favored airlines and failing to offer the same help to airlines like his and Wizz Air that are unlikely to receive massive bailout packages from nations where they are licensed.<br/>
Air Arabia, the only listed carrier in the UAE, has laid off 57 employees due to travel disruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic, a spokesman said Tuesday. The Sharjah-based airline, which has about 2,000 employees, has like other UAE carriers suspended scheduled operations since March. It is not clear when normal services will resume. "It is unfortunate that we had to take the decision to lay off a small number of our staff this week. This is the first time in our history that we were forced to do so taking into consideration the current market realities," the spokesman said. The airline did not say which departments had been affected. "We will continue to do everything possible to safeguard our employees by keeping layoffs to the minimum and only as a last resort," he said.<br/>
Aer Lingus has agreed to put extra flights on its Belfast–London Heathrow service after images emerged of an almost full flight with no apparent evidence of social-distancing measures. The airline said Tuesday that it had conducted a review of its operation of the route, which identified several ways to reduce pressure on the route. These will include checking in increased numbers of bags, changes to the boarding procedure, and the cancellation of in-flight services. “In order to reduce the operational pressure involved in implementing these measures, Aer Lingus is putting on an additional flight frequency on each day of operation of the service. The two services will depart at 08.45 and 09.45 on each day of operation. It is expected that this additional frequency will result in reduced loads on each flight.”<br/>
Thai AirAsia is set to launch a home delivery service of its most popular in-flight F&B options such as stir-fried yentafo, teriyaki chicken and rice, basil rice with fried egg, and mango with two-tone sticky rice. The meals need to be heated before eating. The AirAsia Delivery menu also includes Boba Tea, Thai Tea and Pink Milk Tea, all available in individual cups or as a 1 liter package that can serve between 4 and 6 people. The AirAsia Delivery service will commence on 8 May on LINE. Items can be ordered a la carte or as a set. Thai AirAsia resumed a select number of domestic flights in Thailand on 1 May but due to COVID19 restrictions is not serving any F&B on board.<br/>