After cutting almost tenth of its workforce earlier amid the coronavirus pandemic, the world’s biggest long-haul airline Emirates has resumed mass layoffs, this time it could rise to 15 per cent or 9,000 jobs.
In an interview to the BBC, Emirates airline’s president Sir Timothy Charles Clark informed that the airline had already cut a tenth of its staff and was considering more layoffs, as the company has been severely hit by the outbreak. ‘We will probably have to let go of a few more, probably up to 15 per cent,’ Clark said.
The crisis hindered just at the time when the airline was heading for one of the best years.
Earlier this week, 700 of the airline’s 4,500 pilots were given redundancy notices. According to the media, the cuts have been focused on those who fly Airbus planes over Boeing aircraft.
The decision is believed to be taken considering the Boeing 777s aircraft that the airlines use hold few passengers and therefore, it is easier to fill during the period of decreased airline travel, compared to the Airbus A380s that carry around 500 passengers.
In June, the airlines laid off many pilots and cabin crew members, and also went for a 50 per cent pay cut for grade four and above employees, including those in equivalent grades, until September.
Emirates halted its operation in March given the global shutdown to curb the spread of the virus. It resumed the services two weeks later and plans to fly to 58 cities by mid-August, compared to 157 before the crisis.
