Up to 5,000 KLM jobs will be lost in the coming years due to the coronavirus crisis.
The airline company made the announcement this morning in a press release.
The company will be removing jobs in several ways. First, they will not renew temporary contracts, causing the loss of 1,500 FTE. There will also be a voluntary departure scheme worth 2,000 FTE. The company is also counting on 500 full-time jobs being lost to natural attrition in both 2020 and 2021.
KLM CEO Pieter Elbers explained that the company has tried to adapt to the new reality. “Unfortunately, that is not enough and more needs to be done as soon as possible to secure KLM’s future.”
The company has been hard hit by the coronavirus crisis, as revealed by their quarterly reports published last night. The company lost €483 million in the second quarter and sales decreased substantially by 75%. KLM will also need to pay back €1.6 billion to customers for cancelled plane tickets.
The company will nevertheless receive €3.4 billion from the Dutch government as a support package, a decision that has attracted criticism.
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Feature Image: Jyi1693/ Wikimedia Commons
