Latvia’s national airline AirBaltic plans to cut one fifth of its workforce as part of a new business plan aimed at aligning the company’s structure and cost base with the expected scale of its future operations.
The planned changes could affect about 500 to 700 jobs at the airline’s bases in Riga, Vilnius and Tallinn, airBaltic said in a statement. The company stressed that the figure is an initial estimate and could change as the process progresses.
The estimate includes ongoing consultations with trade unions on possible reduced workloads for pilots and cabin crew, as well as the creation of new organisational structures elsewhere in the company. The new structures are expected to be defined until mid-October.
The airline currently employs about 3,000 people across the Baltic States.
“We understand that this is an important and sensitive process for our people,” airBaltic president and CEO Erno Hilden said in the statement. “Our priority is to carry it out transparently, respectfully and carefully, keeping employees informed throughout the process.”
Hilden said final decisions had not yet been made regarding individual employees and that the company would communicate directly with staff as further steps became clear.
The airline also said it would comply fully with all applicable laws, regulatory requirements and consultation procedures.
More detailed information would be provided to employees in October, the company said.
The planned workforce changes will not affect airBaltic’s current flight schedule. The airline said it was operating normally and all scheduled flights were being operated as planned. (LRT)