TOKYO: All Nippon Airways agreed with its labor union on Tuesday to put 6,400 flight attendants on temporary leave as the major Japanese airline has been forced to reduce its flights substantially due to a plunge in travel demand amid the global coronavirus pandemic.

The number accounts for 70 pct of all flight attendants at ANA. The furlough program will be in place for one year from Wednesday.

The ANA Holdings Inc. unit aims to cut labor and other costs by hundreds of millions of yen a month through the measure.

Each flight attendant will take three to five days off a month on dates designated by the airline while receiving leave allowances from the firm. ANA will file for the government's employment adjustment subsidy program.

In April, ANA plans to cancel 80 pct of its international flights and 30 pct of its domestic flights in response to falling demand blamed on the virus crisis.

JIJI Press