Air France-KLM has started talks with unions to reduce staff as part of a restructuring to be unveiled in the coming months -- a plan that also calls for a 40% cut in domestic French capacity by the end of next year. The company’s Dutch arm, KLM, has already set in motion a voluntary departure plan for all employees starting June 1, CEO Ben Smith said Tuesday at an annual general meeting. A “similar project” is under discussion with labor unions at Air France that would also encourage employees to move to Paris from French regions. A voluntary scheme may not be enough to turn around the French division, which will undergo an “accelerated overhaul” to meet tougher environmental targets and reach break-even next year, Smith said. Air France-KLM is reeling from a steep drop in demand from the coronavirus pandemic, and is still in talks with the Dutch government for as much as E4b in loans and guarantees after getting E7b from France. In exchange, Smith has pledged a revamp at Air France that will cut back on domestic flights including on routes served by rail.<br/>
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Garuda Indonesia will require Jakarta-bound passengers to present an exit and entry permit for the city prior to boarding from Tuesday onward, as the country attempts to curb COVID-19 transmission while reopening the economy. All passengers who wish to board flights to Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta International Airport must also show medical letters from hospitals stating that they are COVID-19 negative based on a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, according to a circular letter issued by the company on Tuesday. “We are announcing that all customers who wish to board a flight bound for Soekarno-Hatta [International Airport] must comply with the document requirements starting from May 26,” the letter reads. Passengers can file a SIKM request via the Jakarta administration’s website. Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan recently issued an order banning people from entering or leaving Jakarta, one of the cities in Indonesia hardest-hit by the virus, without prior approval. “We’re currently discussing compliance with the policy with other authorities,” Irfan said on Tuesday.<br/>
Saudi Arabian airlines are preparing to resume some domestic flights from Sunday as the Kingdom eases coronavirus containment measures, the state news agency said on Wednesday. Sixty flights will resume each day in the first phase. Bans on domestic travel, holding prayers in mosques, and workplace attendance in both the government and private sector will be lifted, starting on May 31, the news agency reported early on Tuesday.<br/>