EasyJet to close London Stansted, Southend and Newcastle bases from September 1

EASYJET is to close its bases at London Stansted, Southend and Newcastle Airport from next month.

The closure, which puts 670 jobs at risk, will come into effect from September 1, and will mean some flights will no longer operate from the three airports.

London Stansted and Newcastle will continue to allow inbound flights, but some outbound routes will end – some of the routes to continue include Newcastle to Bristol and Belfast, as well as to Nice.

London Stansted will still operate some routes to Scotland, Ireland and the Netherlands.

All flights to and from Southend Airport will end from next month.

According to the Evening Standard, easyJet will offer alternative flights for anyone affected, or offer credit notes or refunds.

Passengers due to fly from London Stansted will still find routes from London Luton and London Gatwick, while easyJet passengers travelling from Newcastle will have to head to Manchester or Liverpool.

EasyJet chief executive Johan Lundgren said: “We have had to take the very difficult decision to close three UK bases as a result of the unprecedented impact of the pandemic and related travel restrictions, compounded by quarantine measures in the UK which is impacting demand for travel.

“Working closely with our employee representatives, I am pleased that we have been able to identify ways to significantly reduce the number of proposed compulsory redundancies through providing enhanced voluntary redundancy packages for all UK crew alongside additional options like part time and seasonal contracts, base transfers and unpaid leave which we expect to result in reducing the number of job losses overall.

“We would like to reassure customers due to fly from these airports that we are now contacting anyone whose flight is affected with clear advice on their options which include rerouting via alternative airports or receiving a full refund."

It's another bitter pill to swallow for an aviation industry that has been hammered by coronavirus with flights grounded and travel restrictions enforced.

The airline previously warned that they won’t reach expected revenue levels post lockdown until 2023.

CORONAVIRUS IMPACT ON AIRLINES

• EasyJet – Up to 5,000 jobs lost and three hubs closed
• BA – Up to 12,000 jobs lost and losses of £20million a day
• Ryanair – Up to 3,000 jobs lost
• Virgin – Approx 8,000 on furlough, unable to pay annual leave

EasyJet currently has 163 aircraft in the UK at 11 airports, serving 546 routes and flying more than 52 million passengers a year.

Johan Lundgren, easyJet CEO, said: “These are very difficult proposals to put forward in what is an unprecedented and difficult time for the airline and the industry as a whole.

"We are focused on doing what is right for the company and its long term health and success so we can protect jobs going forward.

“Unfortunately the lower demand environment means we need fewer aircraft and have less opportunity for work for our people."

Last November, easyJet acquired Thomas Cook's slots at Gatwick and Bristol airports for £36million.

The aviation sector has been severely hit by coronavirus, with British Airways haemorrhaging £20million a day.

Bosses want to axe 12,000 staff and ‘fire and re-hire’ the remaining 36,000 staff on lower wages.

The airline said more than 6,000 workers have applied for voluntary redundancy as it struggles to stay afloat amid the coronavirus crisis.

Earlier this month, Richard Branson's Virgin Atlantic filed for bankruptcy protection as its revealed the airline may run out of cash next month.

The last gasp bid comes after Virgin Australia fell into administration earlier this year as the coronavirus pandemic grounded international flights.

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