Dutch airline KLM said on Thursday it will cut between 800 and 1,000 more jobs as the aviation sector continues to struggle amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, AFP reported.

The job cuts come in addition to the 5,000 layoffs that were already announced in July by the carrier. 

“The reality is that the recovery is taking considerably longer than expected, especially for long-haul destinations, partly due to ongoing and new international restrictions and travel restrictions,” KLM said in a statement.

“This means that KLM will have to cut another 800 to 1,000 jobs.”

According to AFP, the additional layoffs include 500 cabin crew, 100 flight crew and between 200 and 400 ground crew.

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KLM CEO Pieter Elbers noted that though the recent restrictions announced by the Dutch government on flights to the Netherlands were not the direct cause of these job cuts, they had ‘added to’ the airline’s struggles. 

The recently imposed measures include a ban on flights to the Netherlands from Britain, South Africa and South America, due to fears over the more contagious, newly discovered strain of the novel coronavirus.

The carrier, which is part of the Air France-KLM group, is also being forced to suspend some of its long-haul routes because extra COVID-19 tests for travellers announced by the government could potentially put the crew at risk.

“This reduction is independent of the new measures taken by the cabinet in the past 48 hours,” Elbers said, as per AFP reports.

“The new measures are exemplary of the restrictions and dynamics that we have faced worldwide since the outbreak of the pandemic.”

The airline recorded unprecedented losses last year, despite being granted a 3.4-billion-euro bailout by the Dutch government.