Overcome Staffing Shortage, EasyJet Airline Will Reduce The Number Of Fleet Seats

Illustration of passengers boarding EasyJet airline fleet. (Wikimedia Commons/Adrian Pingstone)

JAKARTA - Airline EasyJet has announced plans to reduce seats from its planes, so they can fly with fewer cabin crew, addressing staff shortages facing the airline.

It is known that the number of crew required for one flight is determined by the number of passengers flying and is determined by the Civil Aviation Authority.

By removing the back row of seats on Airbus A319 aircraft, the airline will limit the number of passengers on board to 150, which requires three crew members instead of four.

EasyJet told the PA news agency it was an "effective way" to operate its fleet this summer.

"This summer we will operate our UK A319 fleet with a maximum of 150 passengers and three crew members in accordance with CAA regulations," the airline said.

“This is an effective way to operate our fleet while building additional resilience and flexibility into our operations this summer, as we look forward to returning to near 2019 flying levels.”

To note, European airlines, including easyJet, were forced to cancel thousands of flights ahead of last Easter.

The airline expects to operate "close to" pre-pandemic flight levels this summer. It operated at 80 percent of its 2019 capacity in the first three months of the year.