If it doesn't find other solutions, it will announce furloughs in late May for a June reduction,” coo Craig Bentley told staff.

The US Postal Service (USPS) recently cancelled some contracts that reduced monthly flight activity by 700 hours.

"We have to align our operations in the interim to the current conditions while we source new opportunities,” Bentley said.

Amerijet is believed to have eliminated about 10 non-pilot positions in the past few days, including in the flight operations department, after it 'significantly expanded its fleet' and entered new markets during the pandemic. 

Amerijet now employs about 260 pilots and is asking them to take unpaid leave or agree a one-month-on/one-month-off schedule.

Under a collective bargaining agreement signed last summer, pilots are guaranteed a minimum of 74 paid hours even if they fly fewer hours. 

The airline’s load factor hit a three-year low of 29 per cent in January, while cargo-revenue-ton miles were down 23.5 per cent last year.