Air New Zealand will close its London cabin-crew base of 130 flight attendants due to the impact of COVID-19 and travel restrictions imposed by governments around the world.
London-based cabin crew will operate their final service on the route on March 20 (ex Los Angeles). A New Zealand-based crew will operate the remaining flight on March 21. The route will then be suspended until June 30. Air New Zealand had planned to close the cabin crew base with its withdrawal from the route in October 2020.
Earlier in the week, Air New Zealand announced it is reviewing its cost base in response to COVID-19 and is working with unions on a range of measures to reduce its labor-bill by 30%. The airline placed itself into a trading halt on Monday, March 16, to allow it time to fully assess the operational and financial impacts of global travel restrictions. The trading halt remains in place.
