The American airline United Airlines is going to cut more than 16,000 jobs next month in connection with the malaise in the aviation sector due to the corona crisis.
Due to the virus outbreak, a large part of United’s fleet has been on the ground for months and has suffered heavy losses.
These are cabin crew, pilots and managers who will lose their jobs on 1 October. The round of layoffs follows the expiration of some ban on airline redundancies as a condition of US government support for the industry.
7,400 United employees have already agreed to voluntary redundancies, and an additional 20,000 employees have been sent on temporary leave.
Other American companies are also making significant cuts in the workforce. For example, American Airlines plans to cut 19,000 jobs, while Southwest Airlines and Delta Air Lines also plan to intervene because of the crisis.
United has said there would be no real recovery in the aviation sector for the time being. According to the company, a vaccine against the coronavirus that has been widely administered to humans is needed first.