MONARCH Airlines may cut as many as 1,000 jobs as part of a major strategic review that aims to cuts costs and may lead to the end of long haul flights.

The airline will instead aim to compete with low cost airlines Ryanair and Easyjet and concentrate on short-haul flights to Europe. The job losses amount to around a third of the airline's workforce. The airline has not yet officially announced the cuts, but sources told the BBC jobs would be lost. Despite increased capacity the airline said passenger demand was flat. It is retiring three Boeing 757s this Autumn and will have replaced its whole fleet in the next five years.