EasyJet has confirmed plans to close its base at London Stansted airport from September 1, with thousands of jobs at risk.
The budget airline will also shut its Southend and Newcastle bases, putting 670 roles at risk of redundancy.
It is understood that the airline discussed the plans with unions on Monday, two months after warning the hubs were at risk of closure.
The move will see outbound flights cut from Stansted and Newcastle, but inbound flights continue.
All flights in and out of Southend will be permanently stopped.
The decision leaves Luton and Gatwick as the nearest easyJet bases for Stansted customers and Manchester and Liverpool for those who use Newcastle.
EasyJet chief executive Johan Lundgren said: “We have had to take the very difficult decision to close three UK bases as a result of the unprecedented impact of the pandemic and related travel restrictions, compounded by quarantine measures in the UK which is impacting demand for travel.
“Working closely with our employee representatives, I am pleased that we have been able to identify ways to significantly reduce the number of proposed compulsory redundancies through providing enhanced voluntary redundancy packages for all UK crew alongside additional options like part time and seasonal contracts, base transfers and unpaid leave which we expect to result in reducing the number of job losses overall.
“We would like to reassure customers due to fly from these airports that we are now contacting anyone whose flight is affected with clear advice on their options which include rerouting via alternative airports or receiving a full refund.”
