Air Canada to temporarily lay off 15,000 workers due to COVID-19

Photo: The Canadian Press

An Air Canada hangar is seen behind a security fence at Vancouver International Airport, in Richmond, B.C., on Friday, March 20, 2020. An internal Air Canada memo says it will start to temporarily lay off more than 15,000 workers this week as the country's biggest airline struggles with closed borders and the fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Air Canada will temporarily lay off more than 15,000 unionized workers beginning this week as the airline struggles with fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The layoffs will continue through April and May amid drastically reduced flight capacity from the Montreal-based airline.

Air Canada says the two-month furloughs will affect about one-third of management and administrative and support staff, including head office employees, in addition to the front-line workers.

The carrier is also cutting between 85 per cent and 90 per cent of its flights, cancelling most of its international and U.S. routes in response to the global shutdown.

Earlier this month Air Canada's flight attendant union said 5,149 cabin crew would be temporarily laid off due to the COVID-19 outbreak.