Flight Centre to lay off 230 furloughed staff

Flight Centre New Zealand will lay off about 230 furloughed staff, saying redundancy was the only option as international borders remain shut. The travel agency began consultation with its then-300 furloughed staff two weeks ago. Flight Centre NZ managing director David Coombes said Covid-19 had had an ‘‘unimaginable’’ impact on its business. ‘‘Border controls have continued beyond all original expectations, and meaningful work for the scale of employees that we once had will not return for some time. After consulting with those affected, it became clear that redundancy was the only viable option,’’ Coombes said. Flight Centre was trying to find alternative work for affected staff, he said.