Government guidance over redundancy has been issued to 1,100 Gatwick-based Norwegian Air staff after the budget’s carrier’s UK arm folded.
David Pike, Mike Pink and Stuart Irwin from KPMG’s restructuring practice were appointed as joint liquidators to Norwegian Air Resources UK late on Friday night.
The appointment followed Norwegian Air confirming on January 14 that it withdrawing from long-haul operations.
Norwegian Air Resources UK was the carrier’s UK crewing business, employing 1,100 people at its base in Gatwick.
“With long-haul operations coming to a close, the entity no longer had the necessary funds to meet its financial obligations, resulting in the appointment of liquidators,” KPMG said.
Pike added: “This is extremely disappointing news for the UK aviation industry and the employees.
“This appointment forms part of Norwegian Air’s wider operational and restructuring programme which will see the company exit its long-haul routes and instead focus on routes within Norway and Europe.
“Given this outcome and its impact on staff, our clear priority is to work with the employees and their representatives so that we can assist them with making claims to the Redundancy Payments Service, as well as assisting them in securing training records and other important information.
“We will also continue to work with the unions, including Unite and Balpa, to support their efforts and initiatives.”
The Insolvency Service, providing advice to Norwegian staff on claiming redundancy, said: “The joint liquidators will provide details about how to apply and will also give you a case reference number.
“We expect all payments – redundancy pay, holiday pay and arrears of pay – to be made within six weeks of receiving your complete application and information from the administrator.”