KLM has announced that it will cut up to 2,000 jobs to deal with the impact of the pandemic caused by the new coronavirus, among other cost-cutting measures.

In addition, the Dutch airline will also reduce the working time of its employees and immobilize its Boeing 747 from April 1.









« In the coming months we will cut 1,500 to 2,000 jobs, which means that not only in the coming weeks but also in the coming months, we will have fewer colleagues, » said KLM chief executive officer. , Pieter Elbers, in a video message posted on the company’s website. He specified that these measures would primarily concern part-time employees, those close to retirement and natural departures.

« We think this is the right thing to do to avoid further binding measures, » he added. Merged with Air France within the Air France-KLM airline group, the Dutch company currently employs around 33,000 people.







Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, for its part, reported a 20% drop in passenger numbers in the first week of March 2020 and is preparing to operate at reduced capacity. The KLM hub, one of Europe’s largest airline hubs, has been affected by the US decision to ban the US access to Europeans.