WestJet has eliminated about half of its workforce as it tries to preserve itself while the coronavirus continues ravaging the air transport industry, says chief executive Ed Sims. “Today, 6,900 WestJetters are receiving notices confirming early retirements, early outs and both voluntary and involuntary leaves,” Sims says in a video message posted on the airline’s website on 24 March. The airline had about 14,000 workers prior to the cuts. “This is devastating news for all WestJetters. The fact that we avoided a potentially worse outcome is testament to the spirit and selfless attitude demonstrated by our people, who have enabled WestJet to continue operating with a collective remaining workforce of 7,100.” About 90% of those being made redundant accepted voluntary departures, for a period of no less than three months, and some permanently, he adds. “It is through these WestJetters’ sacrifices that we can preserve a core of people who will remain employed to prepare for the moment when the situation stabilises, and we can look to rise again,” Sims says. The Calgary-based airline, Canada’s second to flag carrier Air Canada, is currently operating at about the same size it was in 2003, having cancelled all international operations and working a skeleton domestic service. The airline has grounded 120 aircraft, which is about two thirds of its fleet, Sims says. The carrier, like peers in North America and around the world, has taken radical measures to preserve cash. Executive team members and directors have taken pay cuts, the airline released about 80% of contractors, instituted a hiring freeze, stopped non-essential travel and paused about three quarters of its capital projects. All Canadian airlines have been hit hard by the crisis. On Tuesday, Air Transat said it would be cutting 70% of its staff and suspend all flights from 1 April. Air Canada laid off 5,100 cabin crew last week. Vacation specialist Sunwing Airlines and regional airline Porter have also announced operational halts. The country’s airline industry has requested government aid to help manage through the global pandemic.

Source: Cirium

Trading of Boeing’s shares has been halted as the company announces it will suspend production in the Puget Sound region of Washington state for at least two weeks. The New York Stock Exchange’s website confirms a “halt” on trading of Boeing’s shares, citing “news pending”. The developments come one day after a Boeing employee at the company’s Everett, Washington 787 site died of coronavirus infection. An employee at the company’s North Charleston, South Carolina 787 site has also tested positive, according to reports. “Boeing announced a temporary suspension of production operations at its Puget Sound-area facilities in light of the state of emergency in Washington state and the company’s continuous assessment of the accelerating spread of the coronavirus in the region,” Boeing says in a media release. “These actions are being taken to ensure the well-being of employees, their families and the local community, and will include an orderly shutdown consistent with the requirements of its customers.” Boeing will “begin reducing production activity today and projects the suspension of such operations to begin on Wednesday,” it adds. “The suspension of production operations will last 14 days.” “This necessary step protects our employees and the communities where they work and live,” Boeing chief executive Dave Calhoun says in the release. Staffers who cannot work from home will receive 10 days of paid leave, Boeing says. “When the suspension is lifted, Boeing will take an orderly approach to restarting production with a focus on safety, quality and meeting customer commitments.” The Seattle Times on 22 March reported the Everett employee’s death, and Charleston’s The Post and Courier reported on 23 March that an employee at Boeing’s South Carolina site tested positive for coronavirus. Boeing declines to confirm either report, citing the need to respect workers’ and workers’ families’ privacy. The Times says the deceased Everett staffer was an International Association of Machinists (IAM) shop steward who oversaw finishing work on the 787 programme. The employee’s death came shortly after his brother pleaded on Facebook for Boeing to shut its Everett site, the outlet reports. The IAM also declines to confirm the death. Charleston’s Post and Courier says coworkers who had “close contact” with the infected North Charleston worker have been asked to “self-quarantine and self-monitor”. It says 31 total Boeing employees across company facilities have tested positive for coronavirus, though Boeing confirms only 29 cases. Boeing does not specify how the outbreak has affected South Charleston. The company may release an updated number of infected employees later today, it says. News first broke on 9 March that a Boeing employee had tested positive for the disease. That employee worked in Everett.

Source: Cirium

Yogyakarta International airport (YIA) will begin full operations on 29 March, with the transfer of all jet operations out from the city’s Adisutjipto airport into the newer Yogyakarta airport. Operator Angkasa Pura I (AP I) says YIA will be able to handle up to 20 million passengers annually, and that its 3,250m runway could handle widebodies up to the size of Airbus A380s. In comparison, Adisutjipto could only accommodate up to 1.8 million passengers annually and narrowbodies of up to Boeing 737 NGs. Around 54 domestic and international flights will be transferred from Adisutjipto to YIA, leaving Adisutjipto to handle turboprop operations and business aviation. Yogyakarta International began operations in May 2019, where it handled domestic flights to 12 destinations, adds AP I. Cirium schedules data show that YIA only handled Batik Air, Citilink, and Lion Air, while Adisutjipto handled flights to 18 domestic points and two international destinations. “With the full operations of YIA, we are very confident of providing a multiplier effect in terms of the economy, tourism, and logistics for Yogyakarta, particularly those in Kulon Progo [district] and Central Java [region],” says AP I’s president director Faik Fahmi.

Source: Cirium