PLANES are unlikely to be flying holidaymakers abroad from Leeds-Bradford Airport until June as uncertainty over the end of lockdown hits airlines.

Yesterday Ryanair announced that up to 3,000 jobs across pilots and cabin crew are to be cut.

The budget airline group said a restructuring programme could also involve unpaid leave and pay being slashed by up to 20%, as well as the closure of “a number of aircraft bases across Europe” until demand for air travel recovers.

The airline flew more than 20 European routes from Leeds-Bradford before lockdown but it said its flights will remain grounded until “at least July” and passenger numbers will not return to 2019 levels “until summer 2022 at the earliest”.

Jet2, the other major airline using the airport, said it plans to recommence flights on June 17.

In a trading statement its owners the Dart Group said approximately 80% of UK employees have been furloughed under the Government scheme and all have been asked to take a pay cut of up to 30% for the six-month period until September 30.

It said: “Positively, and despite the considerable uncertainty, we are seeing customers still making bookings for late summer 20 and winter 20/21, with encouraging numbers choosing to rebook rather than cancel. In addition, and though very early, summer 21 bookings to date are very promising.”

Balkan Holidays has cancelled all flights until June, while TUI have cancelled all theirs before June 11. British Airways has not announced when it will be resuming full operations.

Up to 250 staff have been furloughed at the airport until flights resume.

A spokesman said the airport remains open but with a significant reduction in outbound and inbound flights. He said it was still progressing with plans to replace the terminal.

Ryanair said it expects to operate fewer than 1% of its scheduled flights between April and June, and carry no more than half of its original target of 44.6 million passengers between July and September.

For the 12 months to the end of March 2021, its forecast is that it will carry fewer than 100 million passengers. Its target for the period was 154 million.

Chief executive Michael O’Leary said customers may have to wait up to six months for cash refunds for cancelled flights.

He told the BBC the group normally processes around 10,000 refunds a month, but has a backlog of about 25 million claims. He did guarantee though that every customer will receive a cash refund if they want it.

Airlines around the world are facing a struggle to survive due to the coronavirus pandemic.

On Tuesday it was announced that up to 12,000 British Airways workers will lose their jobs, which is more than one in four employees.

Sir Richard Branson has warned that Virgin Atlantic will collapse unless it receives Government support.

And when flights do resume, introducing social distancing at airports would be “physically impossible”, according to the boss of Heathrow.

Chief executive John Holland-Kaye said a “better solution” is needed to make air travel safe as he called for the UK to lead the way in developing a common international standard of measures which could include temperature checks for all passengers.

He said: “Social distancing does not work in any form of public transport, let alone aviation.

“The constraint is not about how many people you can fit on a plane, it will be how many people you can get through an airport safely.”