Air New Zealand rehires 700 staff after axing 4,000

Air New Zealand has revealed it’s rehired around 700 flight attendants and pilots in the last six months. The airline said there were “more opportunities on the horizon” as international flying starts to increase with the relaxing of COVID border restrictions. In 2020, the company cut around 4,000 jobs, or around 30% of the business, in an attempt to reduce the wage bill by $150m. The process of cutting jobs was overseen by a head of HR, Joe McCollum, who was appointed to oversee the restructure, before leaving shortly after at the end of 2020.<br/>Today, the airline employs roughly 8,400 people, significantly down from the around 12,000 pre-pandemic. The news of rehirings was revealed on the day PM Jacinda Ardern said her nation would re-open its borders months earlier than originally set. The country will now allow fully-vaccinated Australians to enter from 11.59 pm on 12 April, and visitors will not need to isolate.<br/>