Norwegian Air is to put an additional 1,600 staff on furlough and park 15 of the 21 planes it has operated over recent months after the Norwegian government yesterday refused to give the airline further support.
The airline said it would only be able to operate 12 domestic routes: from Oslo to ?lesund, Alta, Bergen, Bod?, Evenes, Haugesund, Kirkenes, Molde, Stavanger, Troms? and Trondheim, and from Troms? to Longyearbyen.
CEO Jacob Schram said, ¡°We have no choice but to furlough an additional 1,600 colleagues and park 15 of the 21 aircraft we¡¯ve operated the past months. Recent government-imposed travel restrictions have effectively stifled any hope of a stable and progressive recovery. Norwegian has been hit from all sides by factors outside of our control.
¡°Prior to Covid-19, Norwegian employed more than 10,000 people, but the coming months there will be only 600 colleagues employed. Our goal is to keep six aircraft on domestic routes in Norway, and I expect that Norwegian will also receive route support from the ministry of transportation, as previously announced.¡±
Schram added, ¡°We will do everything we can to offer affected customers alternative travel options and I sincerely apologise for the inconvenience caused by this situation. All affected customers will be notified by us directly.¡±