Delta Air Lines is planning to furlough 1 941 pilots in October, says CNN reporting on an internal Delta memo.
The airline currently has 11 200 active pilots, according to the memo, but predicts that it will need only about 9 450 for its summer 2021 schedule, which Delta expects to be the peak flying period “for the next year or so”.
The company says it may be able to "avoid or reduce" the furloughs if cost-reducing agreements are able to be made with the union and if the CARES Act (a US$2,2trn (R37trn) bill, the largest economic stimulus package in US history), is extended.
Delta is the largest airline globally, measured by revenue. It had a total headcount of 89 000 employees in January this year.