Calgary airport's 'drastic cost-cutting' includes terminal closures, mass layoffs as passengers drop by 90%

The Calgary International Airport says it's implementing "drastic cost-cutting measures" including terminal closures after theCOVID-19 pandemic caused the number ofair passengers here to plummetby90 per cent.

About a third of the airport's workforce has been laid off, the Calgary Airport Authority said Monday.

Executive leaders and senior management have taken salary reductions, the airport authority said.

Theairportis set to lose up to half of its annual revenue due tocoronavirus-related impacts, according to numbers released Monday.

Passengervolumes are expected to decline by more than 90 per cent betweenMarch and June.

Just two weeks ago, Bob Sartor, the president and CEO of the airport authority, predicted a 30 per cent decline in passenger volumes for the year.

Thatnumber has now doubled to 60 per cent for 2020.

"Grounded aircraft are being parked on our aprons, taxiways, and a runway, thousands of aviation-related jobs have dissipated, in-terminal businesses are closing and it's unknown when air travel will rebound," said Sartor.

Here is a list of airport changes announced Monday:

• Concourses A and D will be closed.
• All domestic departures and arrivals will operate from Concourse B and C.
• Domestic check-in areas, bag drop and baggage carousel operations will be consolidated.
• The International Terminal Building will continue to accept international arrivals.
• All international departures will check-inat theInternational Terminal building but pre-board screening will take place at Concourse C.
• Travellers will depart from gates D70/71.
• Parkade 1 long-term and short-term parking remains open.
• Parkade 2 long-term is closed, but short-term parking is still available.

The changes will take place atmidnight on Monday.