Air New Zealand lays off nearly 400 pilots as the airline struggles with coronavirus
- Air New Zealand told the country's pilot union nearly 400 pilots will be laid off
- The cut is part of a move to slash the workforce by 3750 to survive the pandemic
- New Zealand Air Line Pilots' Association is negotiating with Air NZ to reduce cuts
- It comes as the aviation industry worldwide struggles in the wake of COVID-19
Air New Zealand will lay off nearly 400 pilots as part of a plan to slash its workforce by 3750 employees in an attempt to survive the coronavirus crisis.
Like most airlines, it has been hit hard by the pandemic and its attached restrictions, as the world's demand for both domestic and international travel comes to a halt.
The New Zealand Air Line Pilots' Association (NZALPA), which represents 1520 of the airline's pilots said the company had told the union it intends to make 387 pilots redundant.
Air New Zealand has become the latest aviation industry victim of the coronavirus crisis as it braces to lay off 3750 employees
NZALPA president Andrew Ridling said it was in negotiations with Air New Zealand and it would fight to pave a clear path back into the company for pilots who may wish to return later.
'As we have been working closely with the airline over the past three weeks, NZALPA will continue to negotiate on getting this number reduced and finalising the agreement process,' he said on Tuesday, Stuff reports.
'NZALPA is adamant that 387 redundancies is not a final number. Now we continue the robust and thorough consultation process required under the Employment Relations Act and our specific collective agreement.'
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An Air New Zealand spokeswoman would not comment on pilot redundancies specifically but said it had entered into a consultation process with staff to reduce the size of the workforce by up to 3500 roles.
'It's expected Air New Zealand will be a much smaller airline for some time even beyond the initial impact of Covid-19,' she told Daily Mail Australia.
'We understand that this is a very difficult time for many Air New Zealanders.'
Staff received an email on Monday outlining the pilot job losses, with those most affected either first or second officers.
It followed an email Air New Zealand chief executive Greg Foran sent to staff last week warning that the airline's workforce would be reduced by 30 per cent over the next 12 months.
He said redundancies would be actioned on a last in, first off basis.
Prior to the COVID-19 outbreak, Air New Zealand had about 12,500 staff worldwide, but many employees are now inactive as the company has reduced its international capacity by around 95 per cent and grounded almost half of its fleet.
The pandemic has forced Air New Zealand to ground almost half of its fleet
Last month, Air NZ applied for government assistance and was granted two loan reserves totalling $900 million dollars.
Similar redundancies have been carried out across the Tasman sea, as Virgin Australia grounded its entire fleet of 125 planes last month and stood down around 8,000 of its 10,000 staff members without pay.
Meanwhile, Qantas sent two thirds of its 30,000 workforce off the tarmac, with NZALPA also holding concerns 127 Qantas pilots and 81 Jetstar pilots could lose their jobs.
On March 18, the Australian government announced a $715million relief package would be given to the airline industry following news the country's flagship carrier, Qantas, could completely collapse.
Virgin Australia, which had been struggling before the outbreak, appealed to the government for a $1.4billion bail out last week but it was denied.
