More than 250 of the 1,142 Norwegian roles at Gatwick have been made subject to a 45-day consultation with staff and union representatives, with proposals mainly affecting pilots and cabin crew.

“These unprecedented circumstances we now find ourselves in require us to review the Gatwick crew base in line with current business needs and the associated costs going forward,” said Norwegian.

“We have entered into consultation with our crew colleagues and unions based in the in UK, and will look to find common solutions and mitigate redundancies.”

Brian Strutton, general secretary of pilots union Balpa, said: “This news is devastating for those affected and Balpa will do everything within its power to support its members, to avoid compulsory redundancies, reduce the number of employees to be dismissed and mitigate the consequences of any dismissals.

“These latest proposed job losses are yet more evidence of the devastating effect Covid-19 is having on global aviation. If the government fails to act to support the sector, we will see more job losses as airlines are decimated.

“The government promised weeks ago that it would look urgently at measures like airport Covid-19 testing to help restore passenger confidence, but we are still to see any action in this area.

“The government has let down the industry, its employees and the travelling public in this regard. UK aviation is in a death spiral, and this is a disaster for the whole economy.”