China News Agency, Paris, June 30 (Reporter Li Yang) European aircraft manufacturer Airbus announced on the evening of June 30 local time that it plans to lay off about 15,000 people worldwide. The company stated that this was a corresponding business adjustment made in response to the new coronary pneumonia epidemic.
Airbus issued a press release entitled "Airbus plans to further adapt to the epidemic environment" that evening, officially disclosing the specific details of the global layoff plan: 5,100 layoffs in Germany, 5000 in France, and 1,700 in the UK. Spain lay off 900 people, the rest in other countries and regions. The layoffs included Airbus' subsidiaries in France and Germany.
Airbus said that it currently does not rule out mandatory layoffs, but the company will work with social partners to take a variety of avenues, including voluntary resignation, early retirement, and appropriate long-term partial unemployment plans, to reduce the impact of these large-scale layoffs. The number of layoffs accounted for more than 10% of the total number of Airbus employees.
Airbus CEO Foley warned that the company is facing the most severe crisis experienced by the aviation industry. He said that the measures taken by Airbus can withstand the initial impact of the epidemic, and must now ensure that the company can persist and be able to escape the crisis as a global aerospace leader.
Airbus is not optimistic about the future forecast of the aviation industry, and believes that the return of air traffic to the level before the outbreak will not be earlier than 2023, and may even be as late as 2025. Due to the impact of the epidemic, the number of global flights has decreased sharply, and the demand for commercial aircraft has also dropped significantly.
Many airlines as Airbus buyers have also been hit hard by the outbreak. According to data from the International Air Transport Association, airlines’ losses will reach $84 billion this year.
The French trade union reiterated its opposition to strong sanctions. Airbus is expected to start further negotiations with the union on layoffs. Airbus hopes to reach an agreement with the union in 2021 and complete the layoff plan. (Finish)