Dubai based UAE airline Emirates (EK/UAE) has reportedly sacked 600 pilots today as it cuts its workforce in the wake of thr Coronavirus Pandemic.
According to MoneyControl most of the pilots that have been dismissed were probationary first officers doing an Airbus A380 type-rating.
The move could be seen as a clear indication that Emirates plans to cut its Airbus A380 operations by around 40 aircraft.
The worlds largest A380 operator is also in talks with Airbus over the cancellation of some its A380 aircraft that remain on order.
Emirates is owned by the UAE Government and is seen in the industry and a premium airline by pilots and cabin crew but like most airlines, it has been seeking to downsize its workforce as travel demand drops off.
The latest job losses mean that Emirates has now cut 792 pilots from its workforce.
it has also emerged that Emirates also culled 700 Cabin Crew members on the same day.
Prior to the dismissals an Emirates spokesperson said “During these difficult times, and although we have slowly started our return to the skies by keeping in line with the safety measures. The current pandemic has impacted many industries around the world and although we have endeavoured to sustain the current family as is, we reviewed all possible scenarios in order to sustain our business operations, but have come to the conclusion that we unfortunately have to say goodbye to a few of the wonderful people that worked with us.”
“We continuously are reassessing the situation and will have to adapt to this transitional period. We do not view this lightly, and the company is doing everything possible to protect jobs wherever we can. Where we are forced to take tough decisions we will treat people with fairness and respect. We will work with impacted employees to ensure they are looked after and taken care of with necessary means.”
The airline is understood to be looking to cut around a third of its workforce across the company. It currently employs nearly 70,000 people.
