Norwegian will cancel approximately 3,000 flights between mid-March and mid-June as travel demand slumps in the face of the Covid-19 outbreak.

This represents approximately 15 per cent of the total capacity for the period.

The low-cost carrier, already struggling financially before the outbreak, has also put several other measures in place, including temporary layoffs of a significant share of its workforce.

The past week, Norwegian has experienced reduced demand on future bookings.

The cancellations will affect the entire network, with the airline saying “more details will be shared as soon as they are ready to be implemented”.

“This is a critical time for the aviation industry, including us at Norwegian.

“We encourage the authorities to immediately implement measures to imminently reduce the financial burden on the airlines in order to protect crucial infrastructure and jobs,” said chief executive Jacob Schram of Norwegian.

“Unfortunately, cancellations will affect a significant share of our colleagues at Norwegian.

“We have initiated formal consultations with our unions regarding temporary layoffs for flying crew members as well as employees on the ground and in the offices.

“We will continue to engage in constructive dialogue with unions and employees to work through this difficult situation together,” said Schram.

Norwegian will continue to share updates with its customers, the financial market and the media once new measures are implemented.