Union says Ryanair staff not warned about possibility of fleet being grounded

A union representing pilots and cabin crew says it was not informed about the ongoing situation with Ryanair.

The airline said today

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Seat capacity for the month of April and May is expected to be reduced by 80% with most of its European fleet set to be grounded in the next 7 to 10 days.

Forsa trade union spokesperson Bernard Harbour says the aviation sector is in a crisis at the moment.

"It would obviously have been far better if we had heard it direct from the company before picking it up in the news," said Mr Harbour.

"Our priority now is to get good, hard information to our members in the company and in other airlines as quickly as possible.

"That is best done if the company is talking to us and I'm sure that they will."

Meanwhile, Norwegian is to temporarily layoff around 7,300 staff as it cancels 85% of its flights.

In a statement the airline says the COVID-19 situation is escalating by the hour and due to stagnating demand and enforced travel restrictions by authorities worldwide, Norwegian will gradually cancel most of its flights.

It says the main priority is to maintain as many scheduled flights as possible, to ensure customers are able to immediately return to their home destinations.