British Airways will ground aircraft like never before and lay off staff due to coronavirus in a battle by the company to tackle what its chief executive called the most serious crisis in aviation history.
“It is a crisis of global proportions like no other we have known,” BA CEO Alex Cruz told staff in a global message seen by Reuters. BA is owned by IAG. “Please do not underestimate the seriousness of this for our company,” he added.
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Cruz told staff in the message that jobs would be lost “perhaps for a short period, perhaps longer term” and that the company was in discussions with trade unions. Aircraft would be grounded in a way that the airline has never had to do before, he added.
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