Scandinavian airline SAS lays off up to 5,000 employees on Tuesday as the coronavirus pandemic has wiped out demand for air travel which would not be returning to normal for “some years”.

“Given the current (travel) restrictions, SAS expects limited activity in the important summer season. In addition, it will most likely take some years before demand returns to the levels seen before COVID-19,” the company said in a statement.

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SAS, which furloughed around 90 per cent of its staff in mid-March, said it would begin processes to cut around 1,900 full-time positions in Sweden, 1,300 in Norway and 1,700 in Denmark.