By Sofia Marrero airwaysmag.com
Emirates (EK) has shared a letter with its staff warning them of the need for job reductions in the UK to protect the airline’s cash and safeguard the business’s viable future. The news came today via several British media.
In July, EK President Tim Clark said that the carrier would need to cut more jobs. By that time, EK had cut about 10% of its 60,000-strong workforce.
Clark then went on to state that the pandemic could lead to major job losses of 9,000 employees or 15% of EK’s total workforce. As a result, the company decided to suspend all staff recruitment until the end of the year.
A Harder Scenario for Emirates
In September, the airline announced some actions in the short-time. These included a full back salary for staff by October and a full flying schedule with minor reductions by next year.
However, the “extremely subdued” air travel, as stated in the disclosed memo, made EK reduce the scale of its operations. While the airline’s employees are a “significant success factor,” those that service the Dubai-UK connection face difficult times.
Currently, the UAE remains on the UK mandatory quarantine list following the ongoing increase in COVID-19 cases there. As a result, EK’s footprint in the region is today significantly smaller than before, according to a carrier’s spokesperson. Alas, other redundancies across all markets can come due to the updated reduced operational requirements.
