Covid 19 coronavirus: Air New Zealand jet pilots take 30% pay cut, 300 laid off

Air NZ jet pilots have forged a deal which sees them take a 30% pay cut and limits the number of job losses to around 300. The New Zealand Air Line Pilots' Association (NZALPA) says it has saved as many jobs as possible. About 900 Air NZ jet pilots will remain on the payroll but will take what equates to a 30% pay cut for the next nine months. They will continue flying the airline's jet aircraft on domestic and international routes with significantly reduced schedules. Some captains make a basic salary of around $330,000 with flying pay and other allowances on top of that. Association president Andrew Ridling said pilots had faced an uncertain path following the dramatic cuts to the airline's schedule. It is flying around 95% fewer services than this time last year although will increase some domestic services when the country drops down to level 2. "We'd been in talks with Air New Zealand for a number of weeks to save as many pilots' jobs as possible and ensure a fair process for getting other pilots back in the air once the recovery gets underway," said association president Andrew Ridling. "Sadly, almost 300 of about 1200 of our Air New Zealand jet pilot members are being made redundant this week (some taking voluntary redundancy) or are accepting early retirement."<br/>