NetJets Europe to reinstate all furloughed pilots and cabin crew

NetJets will offer to reinstate all NetJets Europe pilots and cabin crew who were furloughed in April, it has announced today (July 28th). The operator will restore a portion of its fleet in Europe to reach pre-pandemic flight levels in response to growing customer demand. Those levels will be attained by adding more than 60 aircraft across the fleet worldwide between now and year-end 2021.

“We are confident in the momentum we are seeing and proud of all the work our teams are doing that resulted in our ability to expand our global fleet in this way,” said Patrick Gallagher, President of NetJets Sales, Marketing and Service.

In response to the global lockdown’s impact on aviation, NetJets had to manage its fleet size and reduced the number of scheduled aircraft purchases. The fleet rejuvenation process in Europe is being accelerated by disposing of a smaller portion of that fleet NetJets said: “The decisions were made amid unparalleled economic uncertainty, when it was unclear how long the period of restricted international flying would last and how the pandemic would impact the broader economy. NetJets sought to insulate the company from deeper reductions later and avoid the need for any bailout, while continuing to provide exceptional safety and service to owners.”

Elsewhere NetJets has announced positives in recent flight volume and the number of new owners it is witnessing. The company believes this is due to more individuals and businesses realising the attractiveness of the industry’s Covid-19 safety levels. Globally, NetJets reports flight volumes returning to within 20% of the typical pre-pandemic levels.

“We are looking forward to welcoming back our team members and welcoming our new owners,” said Elton D’Souza, President, NetJets Europe. “We are thankful to our existing owners for their remarkable loyalty during this time and for recommending NetJets to friends, family, and colleagues.”