Airline previously announced it was laying off more than 5,000 employees

MONTREAL (NEWS 1130) — Air Canada will move ahead with plans to layoff 15,000 staff due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The company made the announcement in a memo obtained by CityNews.

“Other than returning the remaining Canadians home and continuing a skeleton operation, we will be essentially ‘closed for business’ for most of the quarter,” said Arielle Meloul-Wechsler, executive vice president, chief human resources and communications officer.

Air Canada previously announced it was laying off more than 5,000 employees as the country’s largest airline cut routes amid plunging demand due to the coronavirus.