Coronavirus: Dubai's Emirates airline lays off a few employees

Dubai-based airline Emirates on Sunday confirmed that it laid off some workers following a thorough review of costs and resources.

"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," the airline's spokesperson said in a statement.

This decision has been taken in order to save cashflow as the flights mostly remain grounded due to the Covid-19 coronavirus.

Citing sources, Reuters reported that Emirates laid off trainee pilots and cabin crew as part of its restructuring.

However, the Dubai-based carrier didn't disclose how many employees were affected by this latest decision.

"We are continuously 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 the workforce 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 spokesperson said.

The airline had earlier said that all departments were instructed to conduct a thorough review of costs and resourcing against business projections, even as it prepares for gradual service resumption.

"As our chairman has said, conserving cash, safeguarding our business, and preserving as much of as our skilled workforce as possible, remain our top priorities through this period," the airline said earlier.

Dubai government had earlier announced that it would inject equity to support the state-owned carrier.

waheedabbas@khaleejtimes.com