Easyjet grounds entire fleet – as Loganair poised to seek bailout

Easyjet has grounded its entire fleet of aircraft due to the coronavirus pandemic, the airline has announced.

The Luton-based carrier said parking all 344 of its planes “removes significant cost” as the aviation industry struggles to cope with a collapse in demand.

The move comes as Scottish regional airline Loganair said it expects to ask the government for a bailout to cope with the impact of the pandemic.

Easyjet insisted it “maintains a strong balance sheet” and revealed it is in “ongoing discussions with liquidity providers”.

The airline also announced that it has reached an agreement with the Unite union on furlough arrangements for its cabin crew.

The deal will be effective from tomorrow for a two-month period and means cabin crew will be paid 80% of their average pay through the government job retention scheme.

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We are working tirelessly to ensure that easyjet continues to be well positioned to overcome the challenges JOHAN LUNDGREN CHIEF EXECUTIVE

Easyjet chief executive Johan Lundgren said: “I am extremely proud of the way in which people across easyjet have given their absolute best at such a challenging time, including so many crew who have volunteered to operate rescue flights to bring our customers home.

“We are working tirelessly to ensure that easyjet continues to be well positioned to overcome the challenges of coronavirus.”

Loganair chief executive Jonathan Hinkles said the Covid-19 pandemic has “had an enormous effect on all UK airlines”.

He went on: “The government has made it clear that it is open to requests for support from individual airlines and, whilst Loganair has not yet taken up this invite, we fully expect to join other UK airlines in doing so in the coming days.”

Virgin Atlantic had previously urged the government to offer carriers emergency credit facilities worth up to £7.5 billion.

Pictures: PA. Top: Easyjet planes sit on the tarmac at Luton Airport after the airline announced it has grounded its entire fleet of 344 aircraft. Above: The prime minister’s chief adviser, Dominic Cummings, is self-isolating after developing coronavirus-like symptoms.