DUBAI: Emirates, the state-owned Dubai-based airline, has fired hundreds of pilots and cabin crew members due to the financial crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
As per details, Emirates Airlines has fired 600 pilots and 6000 cabin crew today (Tuesday). It is being seen as one of the largest layoffs in the airline industry.
According to a notification, the employees are given a notice period of 90 calendar days and the last day of service (LDS) will be September 13, 2020. Moreover, the company sponsorship and residence visa will also be cancelled from the LDS.
However, the employee will not be given a right to appeal against this redundancy decision. The numbers are expected to increase in the near future.
Most of the pilots that have been dismissed were probationary first officers doing an Airbus A380 type-rating. However, the majority of those being retrenched are cabin-crew members.
The world’s largest A380 operator is also in talks with Airbus over the cancellation of some of its A380 aircraft that remain on order.
Earlier on June 1, Emirates Airlines announced that it had fired an undisclosed number of employees, due to the near-shutdown of global air travel amid COVID-19.
The other two — Abu Dhabi’s Etihad and Doha-based Qatar Airways — had already scaled back in terms of staffing as the virus spread, virtually eliminating passenger demand and causing international borders to slam shut.
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