Thursday July 9, 2020
Gulf carrier Emirates has sacked a large number of pilots under a fresh step to downsize its operations, sources told CNBC-TV18. It is learnt that the airline has sacked around 700-800 pilots under the latest round of layoffs.
The airline has confirmed the fresh layoffs, without confirming the number, and has blamed COVID-19 for taking such a step as it is operating a "significantly" reduced network despite resumption of flights.
It is important to note that the state-run flag carrier of UAE had sacked around 600 pilots in June. The fresh round of layoffs include Indian pilots as well and comprises both A380 and B777 segments."We can confirm that we are still in the process of implementing the redundancy exercise across our group, as previously communicated. While we have slowly restarted operations wherever it is safe and commercially viable, our footprint today is significantly smaller than before and it will take a while for us to recover to pre-pandemic levels. Like other airlines and travel companies, COVID-19 has hit us hard, and as a responsible business, we simply must right-size our workforce in line with our reduced operational requirements," the airline's spokesperson told CNBC-TV18 in a response to a query.
"Our people have always been a big contributing factor to our success, so this is not an action that we relish, nor one that we take lightly. We continue to take every possible action to reduce costs, restore revenue streams, and preserve jobs," the spokesperson added.