SAS airline lays off up to 5,000 staff over corona crisis

Scandinavian airline SAS said Tuesday it would lay off up to 5,000 employees as the new coronavirus pandemic has wiped out demand for air travel which would not return to normal for "some years".

"Given the current (travel) restrictions, SAS expects limited activity in the important summer season. In addition, it will most likely take some years before demand returns to the levels seen before COVID-19," the company said in a statement.

SAS, which furloughed around 90 percent of its staff in mid-March, said it would begin processes to cut around 1,900 full-time positions in Sweden, 1,300 in Norway and 1,700 in Denmark.