LONDON – easyJet is planning lay-offs in Berlin Brandenburg Airport ahead of the Winter 2022/23 season due to reductions occurring at the base.
The airline plans to base only 11 aircraft at the German airport, instead of the original 18, putting 275 jobs at risk of redundancy.
easyJet places the blame on high and increasing airport fees and weaker recovery demand post-COVID.
Stephan Erler, easyJet’s Manager for Germany commented on this:
“The proposed adjustments are necessary to lead our entire business development to a long-term success”.
Brandenburg’s Minister of Economic Affairs & State Secretary Hendrik Fischer expressed regret over the decision made by easyJet:
“I very much regret this, especially looking towards the employees who may be affected. I, therefore, hope that the further talks can still bring opportunities for improvement.”
Ongoing Issues in Berlin…
Earlier last month, 100 easyJet employees at the airport protested over income improvements for cabin crew.
easyJet had originally offered a 4.7% pay increase for the years 2020-2025, but under the Verdi union, staff wanted a higher increase in line with inflation.
With collective bargaining stalling and a combative mood instigated, this has not made matters any better.
The base reduction from easyJet will no doubt add another blow to the unions, who will more than likely protest further as a result of such actions taken by the carrier.
Not A Good 2022 So Far for easyJet…
It has not been a good year for easyJet so far. Around two months ago, the airline had to cancel flights due to staff sickness, which placed pressure on demand & capacity for the airline.
It was thought around a month later that everything was on the rise, especially with the airline pledging to match pre-COVID summer travel numbers this year as well.
Then, around two weeks ago, the airline had to reduce its seats in order to combat continued staff shortages in the wake of COVID.
This then lead the airline to become uncertain about the upcoming Summer season, even after the fact that it had cut its losses in half.
easyJet has had to make some changes, particularly on its fleet, with the carrier exiting lease arrangements from Russian lessors in the wake of the Ukraine Crisis as well.
Overall…
It remains clear that this is not good for those affected at Berlin Brandenburg, especially as it seems like the airline is going to press ahead with those reductions.
Looking ahead, it is going to be interesting to see how the airline is going to cope during the Summer 2022 season, including an all-important question:
Are they going to have a successful Summer season? We will not know these indications until after the third quarter of this year when revenue and profit numbers get announced.
But for now, all we can do is sit back, and wait to see what happens with the carrier. It’s make or break: They need to get out of the hole they have been in for the last few years with COVID.
