Iberia seeking to lay-off up to 90% of staff with no pay for three months

Iberia, the sister airline of British Airways, issued a statement yesterday saying that it had asked the ‘labour authorities’ for permission to make the majority of employees temporarily redundant.

These would initially be for a three month period with the possibility of extension.

Flight crew, as well as ground handling, line maintenance and cargo staff would be cut by 90%.

In addition, 70% of office-based staff were likely to be laid off and 80% (rising to 90%) of heavy maintenance staff.  The only area to get off relatively lightly by comparison is engine maintenance with a 60% cut, as it has external customers as well as Iberia.

The airline has confirmed that it will not ground its fleet entirely, with some short, medium and long haul flights running.  These would be used primarily to take non-residents home and to bring back Spanish residents abroad.

Full details, in English, can be found on the Iberia website here.

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