easyJet confirms UK base closures as travel restrictions start to bite

Easjet announced the closure of three of its bases. image: Twitter

Low-cost European airline easyJet has confirmed it intends to close three of its bases in the United Kingdom – resulting in the loss of up to 670 jobs as the coronavirus pandemic continues to plague the travel industry.

EASYJET had said in May that it would probably need to axe 4,500 jobs across Europe to prepare for a much smaller travel market due to the global pandemic. It is starting that contraction by closing bases at London Stansted, London Southend and Newcastle airports.

The outlook for airlines suddenly darkened last week after France joined Spain on Britain’s ‘red list’ for quarantine, putting people off travelling to the two most popular destinations for British holidaymakers and ruining hopes for an August recovery.

Outbound flights from Stansted and Newcastle will be cut, but in-bound flights continue. All flights in and out of Southend will end though. Some routes will continue, including Newcastle to Bristol, Belfast and Nice, and Stansted to Edinburgh, Glasgow, Belfast and Amsterdam.

The airline said it plans to find alternative flights, offer vouchers or refunds to those already booked on flights after September 1, which will now be cancelled. The company has apologised to customers for any inconvenience.

The decision leaves Luton and Gatwick as the nearest easyJet bases for Stansted customers and Manchester and Liverpool for those who use Newcastle.

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Written by

Tony Winterburn

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