The move is expected to impact around 259 Norwegian Air employees at the airport. Credit: Rudy and Peter Skitterians from Pixabay.

Budget airline Norwegian Air is planning to reduce its workforce at Gatwick Airport in the UK in efforts to reduce expenses amid the Covid-19 crisis.

According to a Reuters report, the move is expected to impact around 259 Norwegian Air employees, including cabin crew and pilots.

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A spokesperson told the news agency that the airline has started a 45-day consultation period with staff and unions.

The company currently has 1,142 staff at Gatwick Airport.

However, Norwegian Air’s short-haul flights from the airport will not be affected as the operations are run by pilots and crew based in the Nordic region, the spokesperson added.

In a statement, Norwegian Air said: “These unprecedented circumstances that we now find ourselves in require us to review the London Gatwick crew base in line with current business needs and the associated costs going forward.

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“We have entered into consultation with our crew colleagues and unions based in UK and will look to find common solutions and mitigate redundancies.”

Following the Covid-19 pandemic, Norwegian Air’s businesses crashed, forcing the company to furlough around 90% of its workers. The company recalled some employees after limited operations resumed.

In May, the airline completed a restructuring and announced that a state-guaranteed loan of NOK3bn (£253.3m) was approved to support its operations.

Meanwhile, Gatwick Airport did not respond to Norwegian Air’s latest move.

The airport is also struggling with low passenger traffic, which has heavily impacted its revenues. In August, Gatwick announced plans to axe 600 jobs, equal to around 24% of its current employees, to reduce operating costs.