Air Navigation Services company ANS Finland to further adjust its operations

The coronavirus epidemic has hit the aviation industry especially hard. There is a 80–90 percent decrease in the number of flights in Finland compared to the corresponding period last year, and at the moment there is no air traffic whatsoever to 12 airports. International air traffic is focused on Helsinki-Vantaa, Turku and Maarianhamina for the duration of the restrictions.

Due to the global restrictions on aviation, also the demand for air navigation services has plummeted. ANS Finland first negotiated adjustment measures with personnel representatives in March, when lay-off measures were agreed on until the end of May. After that, aviation has not recovered as desired, and a quick recovery does not seem likely. Because of this, ANS Finland has again had negotiations with personnel in April to achieve savings.

“We started the first negotiations in order to adjust expenses straight away so that we would be ready as soon as aviation starts again. The outlook for a quick recovery of aviation has not developed as we would have hoped, so unfortunately, we had to start discussions on adjustments with our employees again. Today, we have agreed on more temporary lay-offs in order to achieve savings. I appreciate our employees’ flexibility and will to discuss the challenges and solutions in this challenging situation”, says Raine Luojus, CEO of ANS Finland.

The savings agreed on with the employees are attained by cutting, e.g, salary expenses, which, in practice, means lay-offs. As regards lay-offs and who they concern, we pay special attention to the requirements of business, and lay-offs are implemented in different ways in different units.

"The coronavirus epidemic has proven to be unpredictable, and it has hit the whole aviation industry with serious repercussions.  Now it looks like the crisis the aviation industry is facing will be prolonged still. “Thus it is important that have been able to agree on the necessary adjustment measures openly and in cooperation with the employer, and it has not been necessary to make redundancies”, says chief shop steward of the Finnish Air Traffic Controller’s Association Katariina Syväys.

The negotiations cover the whole personnel of Air Navigation Services Finland Ltd., 420 people in total.