EasyJet to ground majority of planes from Tuesday

[LONDON] British airline easyJet on Friday said it would ground the majority of its planes from March 24, mirroring moves by other carriers worldwide because of the coronavirus pandemic.

"Following the country lockdowns, travel restrictions and changes to travel advice across its network, easyJet has taken the decision to ground the majority of its fleet of aircraft from Tuesday 24 March," a statement said.

EasyJet said flights to repatriate customers were expected to mostly be completed by Monday.

It said it would continue to "operate a minimal schedule of essential services on some routes.

"This will be a maximum of 10 per cent of our usual capacity during this time of year and mainly routes to, from and within the UK," easyJet added.

With the deadly Covid-19 outbreak ravaging the global aviation sector, easyJet chief executive Johan Lundgren on Friday said that its "aircraft groundings will also remove significant levels of variable costs at a time when this remains crucial".

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He added: "These are unprecedented times for the airline industry."

AFP