EasyJet to Close Three British Airport Hubs

London (dpa) - Low-cost airline easyJet on Monday said it had decided to close three of its 11 airport hubs in Britain due to the "unprecedented impact" of the coronavirus pandemic.

The three hubs at Stansted and Southend, both close to London in south-eastern England, and Newcastle in the north-east will cease operating from August 31, easyJet said.

The airline said it had completed consultations with trade union Unite, which represents many cabin crew, after an earlier warning that it planned to cut up to 4,500 of its 15,000 staff.

The consultations, which were continuing with pilots' union BALPA, had "reduced the need for compulsory redundancies through [an] enhanced voluntary redundancy scheme," it said.

"We have had to take the very difficult decision to close three UK bases as a result of the unprecedented impact of the pandemic and related travel restrictions, compounded by quarantine measures in the UK," said Johan Lundgren, easyJet's chief executive.

The airline said it will continue to operate several routes from Stansted and Newcastle after its hub facilities close at the airports.

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