Bill Gates thinks more than 50 percent of business travel will disappear once the coronavirus crisis eases.

Bill Gates

Bill Gates

The Microsoft co-founder has predicted that the business world and the way people travel will change forever following the pandemic, which has already put airline companies under huge financial pressure in recent months.

Speaking to Andrew Ross Sorkin during the New York Times' Dealbook conference, the billionaire businessman explained: "My prediction would be that over 50 percent of business travel and over 30 percent of days in the office will go away."

The majority of Microsoft employees have been working from home amid the coronavirus pandemic.

And the tech company has previously admitted it is seeking to evolve its approach in light of the health crisis.

A Microsoft spokesperson explained: "Our goal is to evolve the way we work over time with intention-guided by employee input, data, and our commitment to support individual workstyles and business needs while living our culture."

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg previously announced something similar, revealing that some employees will have the option to work from home permanently.

Zuckerberg - one of the world's richest men - said that the company was keen to adopt a "more measured approach to opening permanent remote work for existing employees".