World’s largest long-haul airline, Emirates, has announced that it has laid off approximately 180 pilots undergoing Airbus A380 type-rating training and 400 trainee cabin crew, who were on probation.
Earlier, Etihad had denied reports of massive layoff, saying conserving cash, safeguarding business business and preserving as much of their skilled workforce as possible would remain its top priorities.
This announcement of job cuts has come exactly two weeks after it was reported that the airline was considering cutting around 30,000 jobs due to financial burden. However, the exact number of employees sacked is not clear yet.
In an official statement, the Dubai-based airline has said that a reassessment of the current situation had forced it to take this action to sustain its business operations in the months ahead.
According to the statement, the Company is continuously reassessing the situation and will have to adapt to this transitional period.
This is the first phase of layoffs for the airline, but Emirates also indicated that there may be further layoffs if the financial situation shows no improvement.
A spokesperson revealed that this decision to downsize was taken after considering and reviewing all possibilities of sustaining the business. Apparently, the situation is grave and required such drastic measures.
According to Emirates, it is doing everything it can to protect the jobs of its employees. It has also said that people will be treated respectfully and with all fairness. The affected employees have been assured of all possible support.
Emirates is the latest airline to join the list of long-haul carriers, such as Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways, to have announced job cuts.
The chief executive of the Company has said that the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has crippled the Group and severely affected its performance. It is expected that the airline will take a minimum of 18 months to experience normal demand.
