Australia’s national carrier says it has been hit “very hard” by the virusQantas will axe 6,000 jobs as part of its plans to survive the coronavirus pandemic, the airline says. The cuts equate to about a fifth of the airline’s workforce prior to the Covid-19 crisis. In March, it furloughed more than 80% of its staff.
Australia’s national carrier said the collapse in global air travel had devastated revenues. Last week, the Australian government said its border would most likely remain closed into next year. It prompted Qantas to cancel all international flights until late October, except for those to New Zealand.
On 25 June, chief executive Alan Joyce said the airline expected smaller revenues in the next three years, forcing it to become a smaller operation to survive.
“The actions we must take will have a huge impact on thousands of our people,” he said in a statement.
“But the collapse in billions of dollars in revenue leaves us little choice if we are to save as many jobs as possible, long term.”
Mr Joyce added that Qantas, and its budget subsidiary Jetstar, would continue to extend a furlough for about 15,000 workers “as we wait for the recovery we know is coming”.
Australia has flattened its virus curve faster than other nations, meaning demand for domestic flights has returned and is expected to fully recover by 2022. But international demand at that time is forecast to be half of what it was, Qantas said.
The airline also plans to raise A$1.9bn (£1.05bn; $1.3bn) in equity – its first such move in 10 years – to bring in new funds and help “accelerate” its recovery.
Other short-term savings will be found by grounding up to 100 planes, including its A380 fleet, and deferring the purchase of new planes, it said.
Greg Waldron, Asia managing editor of FlightGlobal, told the BBC that the measures should help support the airline as it deals with the fallout from the pandemic.
“Qantas’s mix of job cuts, fleet reductions, and capital raising are designed to reduce costs during a demand crisis for the industry, and retain a solid core for the eventual rebound. In the short to medium term, Australia’s strong domestic market should help Qantas’s revenue partially revive.”
Source: bbc.com
