Aer Lingus owner International Airlines Group (IAG) has said that it hopes that Aer Lingus will have a "robust" schedule from April of 2021, depending on the status of COVID-19-related restrictions when the fourth month of next year rolls around.
As reported by The Irish Independent, Aer Lingus interim chief executive Donal Moriarty said that the airline's "very significant" schedule will not be as busy as last year, and stated that it will take "some time" to return to last year's levels.
IAG stated that it will be 2023 before a full recovery in the aviation sector is seen.
The Irish Independent quotes Moriarty as saying, "We plan to recover as fast as we can."
Moriarty also noted that these are "unprecedented" times.
Flights Reductions
Despite previously hoping that it would resume its Shannon-Heathrow route in December, Aer Lingus will not be operating that route next month, and it will reduce the number of weekly flights it operates between Cork and Heathrow to three from November 16.
Additionally, Aer Lingus's route between Cork and Amsterdam will stop operating for the winter.
Staff Cuts
At present, Aer Lingus employs more than 4,000 people. Approximately 590 people who were on fixed-term contracts have been let go, and the airline anticipates that it will lose a further 250 workers by early 2021.
Aer Lingus has reduced employee costs by up to 50% since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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