Norwegian is cancelling about 3,000 flights until mid-June following a decline in demand from the coronavirus outbreak.

That is about 15pc of the airline's total capacity for this period.

The company has also put several other measures in place, including temporary layoffs of a "significant share of its workforce".

Affected customers will be informed about cancellations.

Chief executive Jacob Schram said: “Unfortunately, cancellations will affect a significant share of our colleagues at Norwegian. We have initiated formal consultations with our unions regarding temporary layoffs for flying crew members as well as employees on the ground and in the offices."

He added: “This is a critical time for the aviation industry, including us at Norwegian. We encourage the authorities to immediately implement measures to imminently reduce the financial burden on the airlines in order to protect crucial infrastructure and jobs.”