Air New Zealand has brought forward the closure of its London cabin crew base amid the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic.
The national carrier had planned to close the cabin crew base with its withdrawal from the route in October 2020.
The London base has 130 flight attendants operating out of it.
London-based cabin crew will operate their final service on the route on March 20 (ex Los Angeles). A New Zealand-based crew will operate the remaining flight on March 21. The route will then be suspended until 30 June.
Air New Zealand earlier this week signalled that there could be up to 30 per cent job losses across the company as the pandemic sees airlines around the world cut flights as people cancel travel plans en masse due to global border and travel restrictions.
“The increasing travel restrictions due to Covid-19 are having a significant impact on bookings and flight cancellations," general manager cabin crew Leeanne Langridge says.
"While this is a tough decision, it’s important we take action now to responsibly manage Air New Zealand through this difficult period to maintain a national airline that is fit for the future.
“Our London-based cabin crew have always gone above and beyond. They consistently provide exemplary service to our customers and we remain incredibly proud of the base. Our priority now is supporting our people and we’ll be working closely with them and their union.”
The airline placed itself into a trading halt on Monday to allow it time to fully assess the operational and financial impacts of global travel restrictions. The trading halt remains in place.
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